Children of Evil REVISED
by Twilight016
Summary: Sequel to 'What I Want.'Life was easy for Danielle and Alexander Riddle until Voldemort's return. Now they must decide who can be trusted, choose sides and try not to lose themselves in world that's slowly falling into chaos. Years 6-7, maybe beyond that.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all things Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are my creations.**

**November 5, 1981**

Severus Snape found he did not know quite what to think about the present circumstances. The war was over: the Dark Lord had been vanquished, the Potters murdered and their son orphaned. However, Snape was not among those celebrating. Instead he was mourning for the death of Lily Evans, his childhood friend and love. He moods varied between sadness and guilt; he never thought he would be happy again. Currently, he was in the library in house at Spinner's End staring blankly at the old man sitting across from him.

"You recognize these two, do you not?" Dumbledore asked, gesturing to the sleeping toddlers beside him.

"Yes, I was present at both their births," Snape said, wondering why the children where here, but not really caring at the same time. "How did they fall into your hands?"

"They were found on the Hogwarts' steps on November first. There was an anonymous note that explained that this unknown person was to bring them to me as quickly as possible. Enclosed were letters to me, you, a will, and a diary that is to be given to the children when they are old enough. All of this is from their mother Jacqueline, she left the instructions that the children were to be raised by you," Dumbledore explained calmly. For the first time in days Severus Snape felt something besides grief.

"WHAT?" he shouted, utterly confused and bewildered. How was _he_ expected to raise two children? And _his _children at that? "Professor Dumbledore surely you're joking. I cannot possibly take care of them. I-I…I don't know the first thing about kids!"

"Well, Ms. Jacqueline seemed to think it was a very good idea. In her letter to me she said she always thought you were better than the others and never understand why you joined in the first place. Also, she said that in the event he returns, it would look very suspicious if someone other than a trusted follower had his children. She believed they would be safest with you," Dumbledore said, smiling slightly at the horror-struck expression on Severus' face. "I suppose you did not fool her as well as you fooled her husband."

"Really, that is what you focus on? I wouldn't trust her judgment on much Dumbledore, she married the FUCKING DARK LORD!" Severus exclaimed.

"In her defense, she fell in love with him long before that. Actually, I think her very wise. After all those years with him, she knew what evil looked like better than anyone else. By the time you came around I'm sure she could recognize real from pretended evil. She also knew him better than anyone else, which explains her foresight in requesting her children be placed under your care."

"You think he will come back then? That he's not dead?"

"Yes, and so did she."

Silence fell between them. Snape pondering the just learned information and expectation, while Dumbledore stared serenely at the sleeping children. Among his other jobs for the Dark Lord, Snape had been assigned to the care of his offspring. He had provided numerous potions during the pregnancies for both the mother and fetuses' health, and had continued to look after their health after their births. He had been present for both births, and had found each to be the most trying things he done. The second more so than the first, for it had been kept a secret.

Mrs. Jacqueline Riddle's health had been slowly declining. Though with the use of certain potions, she had been able to hide it from her husband. However, her first pregnancy had severely weakened her. At her age and in her condition, she should never have become pregnant in the first place. And while she had loved being a mother, she constantly worried about what would happen to her child if she died. Her husband was no longer the man she had loved, and she did not want him to raise their child. When she found out she was pregnant again, she decided she had to do something to save her children. Narcissa Malfoy was also pregnant at the time. Jacqueline offered to go with her away from all the fighting for the remainder of Mrs. Malfoy's pregnancy. Her husband had no problem with the plan. He himself would be away for indefinite period, and thought it a good idea to have his wife and child safely hidden.

And so Jacqueline had taken both Snape and Narcissa into her confidence. Narcissa, sharing her motherly instincts, agreed immediately. Snape had been hesitant at first, but eventually gave in. After all, he would be providing the same service to her as last time and he had been instructed to do her bidding by the Dark Lord. Though he never thought it would come to this. For the first time since they had entered his house, he actually looked at the children before him.

The oldest, a boy, was around two now. He recalled his name to be Alexander. He had his mother's strawberry-blond hair and sun-kissed complexion. The youngest, a girl, was named Danielle. She was just over a year old. She shared her brother's complexion, but had dark black hair. They both slept peacefully, the boy curled up on the couch next to Dumbledore and the girl in a carrier on the floor.

"When did she die?" Severus asked, breaking the long silence.

"A few hours after he disappeared, though I do not know of what," Dumbledore answered solemnly. "Do you?"

"No, not exactly," he sighed. "The potions I gave only worked temporarily. Usually only a few weeks and then she would get sick again. I saw signs of Dark magic being used on her, to prolong her youth, life and such. I think he did it without her consent."

"Whatever ailed her was, perhaps, not of the body only."

Snape nodded his head in agreement. "Alright," he sighed. "I'll take them."

"Splendid," Dumbledore said, handing him a bag. "In there are all the baby supplies you will need. And don't worry, accommodations will be made for you at Hogwarts." With that Dumbledore let himself out, leaving a clueless Snape with two sleeping toddlers.

X X X

The first few months were the most difficult. They were pure chaos. On top taking care of two toddlers, he was also teaching potions at Hogwarts and had plenty of work from that. Thankfully, Dumbledore had a couple house elves that watched the children while he was in class. He became accustomed to toys scattered around his quarters. In fact, he found he quite enjoyed being a parent.

Alex and Dani were quiet, well-behaved children. They had their fun, and could be a bit mischievous, but rarely ever crossed the line. They spent most of their time in his quarters or in an old classroom that had been transformed into a type of playroom for them. As soon as they were old enough he began tutoring them in both the general muggle studies and basic magical ones. They were bright and quick when it came to their studies. Snape was very proud of them.

"Daddy?" Dani said one evening. She was five and it was Christmas. Alex was building something with the muggle toys called Legos, Dani was coloring and he was reading _the Daily Prophet_.

"Yes Dani, what is it?"

"Can we build a snowman tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Can we build a fort too?" Alex asked, momentarily distracted from his latest creation.

"Daddy?" Dani asked again, standing up and abandoning her coloring.

"Yes?" he sighed, giving up on reading the paper. She walked over to him and crawled into his lap.

"Will you read a story?" He smiled and summoned a book—_The Tales of Beedle the Bard_—in reply. It had been his when he was young; he had made sure to bring it with them this year as Dani had become quite obsessed with them.

X X X

As they got older, they grew in intelligence, kindness, and attractiveness. Eventually, Snape could no longer teach them. After consulting Dumbledore, he decided to send them to a muggle boarding school during the school year and would home school them in their magical studies during the summer, thinking it too risky to teach them at Hogwarts. And so, when Alex was ten and Dani was nine, they went off to school. In their absence Snape realized how lonely he was without them. He found himself looking forward to their letters. Well, the letters were really from Dani. Snape knew boys were not very good at correspondence, and appreciated the effort she went through to get anything from her brother to him. He could not help but harbor a hope that one day they would be able to attend Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

**AN: Thanks to everyone that's reading this story! Also, I hope you all have gotten to see DH Part 2! It's awesomely amazing! If you haven't seen it yet, see it soon! Anyways, as promised (for now), here's your weekly update (not very long, but if I finish another chapter, maybe I'll update earlier). Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all things Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are my creations.**

**June 14, 1995 (after fourth year ends, summer before yr 5. Dates will most likely be a bit off)**

"What do you mean they're missing!" Voldemort hollered, furious at his follower's failure. Many of the masked figures cringed and inched closer to the wall, avoiding making eye contact with the two men in the center. However, it was the man who had failed that kept his face blank of all emotions and stood unflinchingly before the Dark Lord.

"My apologies my Lord," Severus Snape said calmly, bowing his head in repentance, "but it appears that the children have left the school. According to the headmistress, they disappeared about a week ago. They told no one they were leaving and have left no trace—magical or otherwise—of where they have gone."

"And you say they are intelligent and talented with the magical arts?" Voldemort inquired.

"More so than all the students I have taught during my time at Hogwarts. It will be incredibly easy for them to blend in and live undetected, even if they use magic. The Ministry does not know about their origins and Dumbledore never saw fit to inform it of them," Snape explained.

"So the Trace was never placed on them then. That would make difficult for _anyone_ to find them. Dumbledore's goal, I suppose?" the Dark Lord concluded.

"There is more my Lord," Snape said, guilt and betrayal rising in his chest. He wanted so badly to help keep them hidden, wherever they were, but he had to prove to that he remained loyal to Voldemort. He only hoped they would forgive them. "Alexander is a Parselmouth, and Danielle….well, it is interesting what she is. She's very intuitive. She can tell what someone is thinking and feeling without occulumency or other magicks. She's not a Seer or psychic either. I don't know if there's a term for what she is."

Voldemort grinned a grin that sent chills down the spines of everyone in the room. Snape's stomach churned as he regretted giving him this information. It felt horrible to sell out his children, even if they were truly Voldemort's and not his.

"After hearing all of this, I see that you have not failed completely. You've trained them well and kept them a secret from the wizarding world. While I regret that Dumbledore knows of them, I know he would have become suspicious of your loyalties had he not. As for the children," he paused, thinking. "They will be found eventually. Better to keep them out of harm's way for as long as possible."

He walked back to his chair, where Nagini lay next to, and sat down smirking coldly, evilly. The Death Eaters stood still, unsure of what to expect next. Snape remained in the center of the room, hating himself and the choices he had made that had led to this situation.

"Now, that that business is taken care of," Voldemort said, breaking the silence and bringing everyone's attention back to him, "we have other things to discuss."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

**AN: As promised, I finished a later chapter (which is over 2000 words), so to make up for yesterday's short chapter I am posting the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all things Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are my creations.**

**July 15, 1996 (summer before 6****th**** year begins) **

"Explain why, after a year on the run, we're turning ourselves in?" Dani asked, nervously pacing the length of the hotel room.

"I've told you before," Alex sighed exasperatedly, " we are _not_ turning ourselves in. We're simply going home. It's Hogwarts. Dad's there, Dumbledore's there, the rest of the staff; we'll be perfectly safe."

"And as I've told _you_, dear brother," she said scathingly and stopping mid-pace to face him, "Hogwarts is _not_ perfectly safe. Both loyal Death Eaters and Voldemort have infiltrated the school. Plus, Dad's a double agent. We'll have to watch how we act around him and what we tell him. He has to be in Voldemort's favor and that requires him to report on us."

When she finished she looked more stressed and worried than before. They had been on the move for days. Normally, they could stay in one place for a couple of months before they would have to move again. However, being in London—the home of the ministry and many Death Eaters—had caused them to change locations every two days. They had been all over the city in just a week. Add that with being constantly indoors and looking over their shoulders every time they went outdoors was causing them to be very much on edge. Alex got up and walked over to his sister and pulled her into a comforting hug.

"We're going to be fine," he soothed. "It'll be easier at Hogwarts than it has been this last year. There'll be food, a warm place to sleep, and people we can trust. Yes, we'll still have to be on guard for people pretending to be allies, but it won't be as trying. I know you're on edge right now, but it won't be so stressful soon. Besides, I've always taken care of you, haven't I?"

She nodded, "Yeah, you have. We've both done pretty well in that department."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "We have a few hours, you should get some sleep. Don't want you overreacting because you're exhausted," he teased. She gave him a week smile and went and lay down on the bed. She was out in a few minutes.

As she slept, Alex wondered for the thousandth time whether taking her out of school had been a good idea or not. She had been so happy, light-hearted, trusting and positive before, but the past year had hardened her. She was now skeptical of everyone's motives, pessimistic, and rarely smiled. He was the only person in the world she trusted. Even living in low populated areas had not kept them safe from harm. They had had run-ins with both magical and muggle beings. Sometimes barely escaping capture. Both had scares on their arms and legs from being cut by trees and plants, as they would travel through the forests or from escaping detection. Dani had a nasty scare on her left shoulder from a werewolf attack. Luckily, she had not been infected, but she could have been.

That instance and the current situation made Alex wonder if he had done the right thing. He could have taken her out of school and hidden her somewhere. They could have separated. That would have made finding them more difficult, but…..he never could have left her alone and unprotected like that. He would not have been able to leave her and not know that she was safe, that she had not been found out. With their mother dead and a Dark Lord for a father, they were all each other had. Severus had been good to them, and was, for all intents and purposes, their father. But he had other obligations; obligations that would help keep them alive if everything worked out.

Well, he had an obligation too, and that was to keep his baby sister safe. He knew that Voldemort would have no use for him, but he would love to have access to her powers. He had no idea what Voldemort would do to her, but he was not willing to find out. He could not remember much about his parents. Dani remembered nothing about either of them. She had been one at the time and he had been only been two. He could vaguely recall his mother: she was pretty (he knew he had her skin tone and hair color from pictures), but she always seemed a little sad. Even when she would smile she never seemed completely happy. He could understand it: It confused him as a small child. After reading her diary, he knew why, and it only made him hate his birth father more. He remembered him even less as he was never there. He remembered that his eyes were faintly read and his nose was oddly flat. He had been afraid of him, even when his mother told him there was nothing to fear.

_How could she say that?_ he thought. _There was something to fear, and it was him! So he never physically hurt her, big deal. He hurt her emotionally. He killed her spirit. He was the reason she was dead._

He looked over his sleeping sister, frowning. From what he had read of this mother's thoughts, he could tell that she and Dani were a lot a like. This worried him. After everything they had been though, she still had a need to find good in people: even when there was nothing to find. She was also extremely headstrong. Would this lead her to a similar fate as their mother? _If he ever finds her, it will. He'll kill her spirit, and then she'll lose her will to live._ He sighed and glared at the ceiling.

"I hope you're stronger Dani," he whispered. "But if you're not, I'll die before I let that happen to you. And, if I can, maybe I'll take them with me."

XXXX

Voldemort sat alone in a dimly lit study. In front of him lay four pictures: the first was of him and Jackie from Hogwarts, the next two were of her and their children on the days of their births, the last was a picture of his children at fifteen and fourteen. He held a crumpled letter in his fist: it was from his wife written the day she died. It begged him to keep their children out of his exploits. She wanted them to have a normal life, a happy life, free from the fear of being hurt because of who he was.

_But is not she who hurt them most?_ he thought. _She left them. She was weak and abandoned them, just like my own mother. How could she have done this to them? To ME?_

He looked back at the most recent photo of his children. Alexander may have had her coloring, but it was looking at a younger version of himself with light hair and tan skin. Danielle was the opposite: she was her mother with his dark hair and eyes. Both children were a perfect mix of their parents. And from Snape had said they were just as intelligent and talented. He was proud of their accomplishments, they would be valuable assets when they joined him.

_ I'm sorry Jackie,_ he thought, _but I have no other choice but to find them and have them join me. If you were still here, then I could have a reason to spare them from this. But as it is, I am their only living parent._

He threw the letter into the fire and placed the photos in a drawer. The plan was in motion, his children would be returned to him within the year.

xxxxx

"Come on, Dani," Alex said as he shook her awake, "we need to go."

"I'm up. I'm up," she grunted as she got out of the bed. Alex handed her her coat and bag. He was ready to go and was antsy as she put on her coat. "I'm ready, let's go," she said, hoisting her bag over her shoulder.

Alex led the way down the narrow hallway and creaky stairwell to the dimly lit street. They hurried down side roads and cut through alleyways until they reached a field on the hedge of town. They were silent in order to hear if someone was approaching and periodically checking over their shoulders. Suddenly there was a loud sound like the backfiring of an engine that caused them to spin around. Squinting into the darkness, they saw a slim figure emerge. As it walked closer, familiar features began to form. Finally, Albus Dumbledore stood before them.

"Good evening," he said calmly, as if they were meeting in a coffee shop instead of an empty field on the edge of town.

"Good evening Professor," they said in unison, as they had been taught to so many years ago.

"If you'll each take a hand, we'll be on our way."

They did as they were told, and with another load popping sounding the field was left empty, leaving no trace that anyone had ever been there.

**AN: I've noticed people are reading the original CoE. While some things will be similar, the overall story will be different. Also, that one sucks so I would prefer if you READ and REVIEW this one instead. Thanks and I love everyone reading this story! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all things Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are my creations.**

They sat in a small kitchen in peculiar looking house. It was five in the morning and no one else was up yet. It was very quiet, but Dani could tell that it was not always like this. Dumbledore had dropped them off over an hour ago. Ever since then, Mrs. Weasley had been frantically in and out of the kitchen. She had offered them food many times, but they had both declined deciding it would only make her more nervous. It obvious that their presence had her on edge.

"Mrs. Weasley, would you like some help with the dishes?" Dani asked, getting up and walking over to the sink. She did not wait for a reply and just started washing the pile next to the sink.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Mrs. Weasley said. However, Dani could tell she was secretly thankful for the help.

"It's fine. I actually prefer to be doing something when I'm nervous. It's a good distraction," she said, flashing a small, kind smile at Mrs. Weasley. "Thank you for allowing my brother and I to stay with you for the remainder of the holiday, by the way. It's very kind of you and your husband."

"Oh, not a problem dear. We're happy to help," she said distractedly. "Is your brother alright?"

Dani did not even have to look behind her to know why that was being asked. "Yes, he sometimes sleeps with his eyes open. Bit creepy if you ask me. You can wake him up if you'd like. He's going to be out of it anyway."

"No, no. Let him sleep. I'm sure you both need it. I'm sorry again for not having beds made up. We weren't expecting you so early."

Dani shrugged her shoulders as if to say "not a big deal" and fell silent. It was just nice to be in a house instead of in a hotel, or tent, or cave, or some other makeshift shelter. And this cramped and crowded shelter was nice. It was safe and warm and inviting. She wished they could have returned to their home on Spinner's End, but she knew she would not be back there for long time. This home was a good temporary alternative.

She lost herself in her work after awhile. Some dishes required more scrubbing than others, which made her wish she could get away with doing magic still. However, Dumbledore had asked them not to draw too much attention to themselves: and an underage witch performing magic would indeed draw attention and unnecessary questions. It was better to act like she had the Trace like every other underage witch or wizard. She had finally finished and was trying off her hands when she heard someone walking toward the kitchen. Assuming it was just Mrs. Weasley, who had left to go to take of the laundry, she did not bother to turn around. She had decided she could try and put the dishes away, when that person—who was not Mrs. Weasley—asked her something:

"Who are you?"

The voice was male, but unfamiliar. When they had arrived, some of the inhabitants had been there to greet them. They had met Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Fleur. The rest had been asleep. Slowly, she turned around to face the stranger. Her stomach clenched when she saw her it was. Standing before her was Harry Potter. She mentally grimaced at the situation. She knew that the younger inhabitants did know of them or of their impending arrival: the adults had believed they had more time. She had been thrilled that she herself would not have to explain her heritage to them, especially Potter and the youngest Weasley. Both had suffered much because of her birth father. But now, it appeared, she was in that unwanted position of giving an explanation. She picked up some dishes and cleared her throat.

"I'm Danielle and this," she said, nodding her head at her sleeping brother (whose head was now cradled in his arms) as she carried the dishes to a cabinet across the room, "is my brother Alexander. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are allowing us to stay with them until school starts."

"Sorry, this going to sound rude, but _why_ are you staying here," he asked, clearly able to tell something was up.

"It's, um, it's complicated," she said, turning from him and inching toward the door. "I'm going to see if Mrs. Weasley needs any help."

She quickly turned around and exited through the kitchen door. She could not tell him, anyone. They had never talked about their heritage to anyone besides Snape and Dumbledore. It was a taboo subject; one that was better avoided for everyone's sake. She was walking quickly, but she knew it was not fast enough: she heard his hurried footsteps behind her. She stopped, took a deep breath, and turned around to face him. He had stopped a few a feet away from her, wand in hand and looking confused, but suspicious.

"Who are you? And no lies," he demanded, pointing his wand at her.

"Fine. Have it your way," she snapped, putting on a brave face. "My name is Danielle Riddle. The boy in the kitchen is Alexander Riddle, my older brother. We've been on the run for over a year, hiding from our father. Dumbledore finally found us and said we'd be safer if we returned to Hogwarts this year. He said our father's reach was growing and it was only a matter of time before he found us. Alex, I mean we, agreed that Dumbledore was right. We're here because our childhood home is now a common meeting place for Death Eaters to come and go. Are you satisfied now?"

He remained still. His now looked bewildered and was loosely holding on to his wand. She could not help but be smug at his reaction. She had tried to spare him, but he had insisted. It was his own fault if he could not handle the information.

Suddenly, there was a loud banging from behind them. Harry spun around to face the house, but Dani remained still. Someone was running from the house toward them. Dani could tell from the hair alone that it was Alex. She grew more annoyed as he drew closer. If she was not within thirty feet of him, he flipped. It was suffocating. She hoped she would have more space at Hogwarts.

"What's, going, on?" Alex demanded, pointing his wand at Harry, who was doing the same to him.

"Just having a conversation about who we are. It was going quite nicely until you overreacted," she said, already bored with the situation. Alex glared at her, but lowered his wand.

"How is this possible? Surely, if Voldemort had children, there would some record of it? That the wizarding world would know, the Ministry at least, wouldn't it?" Harry asked, growing more perplexed by the moment.

"We were kept a secret. In fact, he did not even know about me until a year ago," Dani said matter-of-factly.

"Then who raised you?"

"Severus Snape," Alex answered, now standing protectively next to his sister. "It was our mother's dying wish. She seemed to know he was good. Most of our childhood was spent at his house or Hogwarts. We were sent to a muggle boarding school about seven years ago."

The three of them stood there looking at each other in silence. Harry was too shocked to say anything, while Alex remained on guard watching Harry. Dani walked over to her brother and got him to lower his wand. Dani heard someone humming from around the corner. She turned her head, and saw that it was Mrs. Weasley, who, upon seeing the three of them, ceased humming and froze.

"Is everything all right here?" she asked, her eyes concerned and jumping between them.

"I suppose," Harry muttered, his expression still one of shock.

"Well, then let's all go back inside, and I'll get breakfast started," she said, as she resumed walking.

They followed her in silence. All avoided making eye contact with one another, except for Dani and Alex, who seemed to be communicating silently. Mrs. Weasley asked Dani to help her prepare breakfast. As they worked, the two boys sat in silence. Dani sighed. If everyone was going to react this way, it was going to be a very long day, and probably a very long year.

**AN: So...I struggled with this chapter. Don't know if you can tell. What do you think? Also, I messed up in ch2 when I was talking about Dani's abilities. It should been "legilimens" (sp?) and not occulumens. Sorry!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

The first few days at the Weasley's was awkward and tense to say the least. The Weasley children, Hermione, and Harry were not sure if they could trust Alex and Dani. Ginny's reaction was the worst: She visibly tensed from fear the first few times she saw Alex. Once her brothers and Harry noticed this, they never let her be in the room alone with Alex, whom was confused about the whole thing. During one of these instances, Dani had insight into Ginny's mind. She then explained what Ginny had experienced to Alex. He felt bad for causing her to remember her episode with their father's diary. He tried to keep his distance from her: made sure to sit a few seats away at meals, etc. Soon she relaxed in his presence and even began speaking to him, which only enhanced her brother's protectiveness. After a week, they all became more at ease with each other.

Surprisingly, Alex, Harry, and Ron became fast friends. He was friendly, laid-back, levelheaded and unassuming. He had always made friends quickly and easily. Dani, on the other hand, was reserved and temperamental. She had always had difficulty befriending people in school, but she had been able to slowly make friends over time. However, after a year on the run and little contact with anyone besides Alex, she found it difficult enough to be around so many people, let alone befriend anyone. Also, she was having trouble letting herself trust strangers, even though she knew these people would not hurt her or Alex.

She sat in the grass enjoying the sun and alternating between reading and watching the quidditch match. Ron, Harry, Alex, and Ginny were playing: Ron and Harry versus Alex and Ginny. They were evenly matched, so the scores were pretty close. Dani absentmindedly twirled her willow and dragon-heartstring wand, watching the game for a minute. She knew Alex enjoyed flying, and had always been a little disappointed that he never had the chance to go out for a quidditch team at Hogwarts. While she did not share his passion of flying, she did enjoy it occasionally. Sighing, she closed her book and lay back in the grass, enjoying the sun's warmth on her skin.

It was hard to be around so many people. There were so many thoughts, emotions, and memories. It had given her a headache the first few days, but she had relearned how to manage her ability. A year of not being around people had really messed up her control. She was a little worried about the first few days at Hogwarts, where there would be hundreds of people. Sometimes it was a helpful gift such as when she learned important information of friends, enemies, or events. Such as learning that Alex looked just like Tom Riddle, but with lighter hair and eyes and a darker complexion. She knew that bothered him a bit. He hated anything to do with _him_. So did she for that matter. However, most of the time her gift was just an annoyance. She felt guilty for invading people's privacy, and she rarely wanted or needed to know all she did. It was too personal.

However, she quickly had realized that Harry and the Weasleys were nothing like their descriptions from Draco and Severus. They were good people, not arrogant or stupid or annoying. She understood a little of why Severus felt the way he did towards Harry; but Draco's comments about Harry and the Weasley family good no longer be justified. She could do nothing but chalk it up to Pureblood mania.

She felt a whoosh of air over her head and heard a thud on the ground behind her. Opening her eyes and looking around, she saw that quaffle had landed a few feet to her left. She had to stop herself from using her wand to retrieve it. She got up and tossed it to Ginny.

"Thanks," she said. "You sure you don't want a turn?"

"I'm sure. My coordination's not all that great."

They resumed their game. She watched for a moment, and then walked away. She liked the Weasley's house: it was nice and open. She continued twirling her wand, purple and gold sparks occasionally shooting out. It was frustrating to be unable to do magic. She had never realized how much she relied on it before. She could not wait to go to Hogwarts, where it would not be suspicious if she used magic. She felt her stomach twist in knots as she thought of Hogwarts. She had not been there in years, and now she would be returning as a student: a student that had to be sorted; a student who's father was the most hated and feared wizard ever; and a student that was related to Slytherin. She had never thought she would dread attending Hogwarts. She had been furious when she had not been allowed to attend, but now she found herself wishing she did not have to go.

A pink light shot out of her wand and hit a nearby bush. The bush grew in size, shriveled, and bloomed before returning to normal. Dani immediately stowed her wand in her pocket, deciding not to let her emotions affect her magic again. She looked around, hoping she was alone. Realizing she was, she hurried away from the spot, and began making her way back to the Burrow. She could hear them still playing quidditch on the other side of the orchard as she walked past. Hermione was sitting at the kitchen table boring over some books. She looked up when Dani entered the room.

"They're still playing quidditch then?" she asked.

"Yes. I doubt they'll quit anytime soon either. What are you reading?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just going over some things from last year, making sure I haven't forgotten anything. A letter came for you while you were out," she said, shifting her books around as she looked for the letter. "Here it is."

"Thank you," she said, taking the letter from her and opening it.

_Danielle,_

_ I have enclosed the key to vault, as I will be unable to meet you and Alex in Diagon Alley tomorrow. When you arrive at Hogwarts, both of you will be taken aside and sorted privately. In the meantime, I ask both of you to keep your heads down, and refrain from doing magic or anything else that would draw unnecessary attention to yourselves. Also, I will remind you both to watch what you say and to whom you say it. I look forward to seeing you both at Hogwarts._

_Severus Snape_

She sighed and, after making sure Hermione was not paying attention to her, magically wiped the letter clean before throwing it in the trash.

"Everything ok?" she asked, looking up from her books once again.

"All's fine. It was just a reminder to behave," she said dryly, taking a seat across from Hermione.

"You must be excited to go back, especially since you used to live there?"

"Yes, it will be nice. I've missed it. Boarding school wasn't horrible, but I've always wanted to attend Hogwarts. I do worry about people's reactions if they make the connection between our father and us though," she finished quietly.

"Well, some of the older students might because of the Chamber being reopened in my second year. But the younger students may not. It's not common knowledge that Voldemort was once Tom Riddle."

"Thanks," Dani smiled graciously.

"When…when did you find out about your parents?" Hermione asked timidly.

"Oddly enough, right before the Chamber opened. It was weird at first. I mean, I knew Severus wasn't my real father, but I'd never thought that Voldemort could have been. I was thankful to not be at Hogwarts when the Chamber opened. I just…never thought he'd come back."

"Very few people did," she supplied helpfully.

"Thanks Hermione. At least, I'll have one friend."

Mrs. Weasley came in and had the girls help her prepare dinner. They finished their work as the sun began to set and the four playing quidditch walked through the kitchen door: their faces a little red from their afternoon game. Dinner was far from a quiet affair. Ron and Harry were excited for the trip to Diagon Alley: apparently Ron's older brothers had just opened up a joke shop there. Mr. Weasley brought news of things the _Prophet_ refused to report, such as disappearances and theories of Voldemort's plan from both the Order and the Ministry. From what Dani gleaned of this information, the Ministry seemed to be stumbling in the dark on how to prepare for an attack against the ministry. And even though it seemed like the Order had a better hand on things, they did not seem to be much better off: People were afraid. They did not know who to trust, and were worried about their lives and those of their families if they were to get involved.

As she lay in bed that night, she thought of clever her father was. He used fear to divide people. He had everyone so afraid that they joined him, went into hiding, or just refused to get involved. It was horrible, and it was what would keep him from being defeated. How could anyone expect to live in peace if the majority of people were too afraid to do anything?

**AN: So, this my last update before I go back to school. I'm about 5 chapter ahead though (currently working on ch9), so you should have weekly updates for awhile. I will try to stay on top of updating once classes start (I have a couple weeks before that, going back early for a job), but if the updates aren't always weekly please bear with me. The classes I'm taking will be very time consuming, plus I'm working and volunteering. Again, I appreciate everyone reading, especially those that take the time to review (it's a good motivator). :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5**

**AN: So training has begun and it is insane! Campus opens Monday, so next week will be just as crazy. As a result of all the insanity, just realized it was update day. Chapter 9 is still being written (it's so long, eh :/). Enjoy this one, and review to make me smile after my never ending days! :)**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

Diagon Alley was nothing like I remembered it. Most of the shops were closed and boarded up. Shoppers hurried from one stop to the next, trying to complete their errands as quickly as possible and return to the safety of their homes. No one stopped to talk or even made eye contact.

Alex and Dani separated from the main group to go to Gringgotts, agreeing to meet up at Fred and George's joke shop. After withdrawing some money from the bank, they gathered the basic school supplies: quills, ink, parchment, books, and replenished their potion ingredients. Their final stop was to get robes. When they entered Madam Malkin's it was empty of any other customers. The owner of the shop and her assistant quickly helped them. As they paid for their robes, Dani heard the bell on the door ring, signaling the entrance of new customers. Curious, Dani glanced over at whoever it was. Staring back at her were two extremely surprised Malfoys. While Narcissa was able to regain her composure quickly, Draco took a little longer.

"Hello Danielle, Alexandar," Mrs. Malfoy greeted as they walked toward her. "How are you? We haven't seen you in a while."

"Hello Mrs. Malfoy. We're fine. How have you been?"

"Fine," she responded coolly

There was an awkward tension between the four. Dani, Alex, and Draco had been friends since they were young. Severus used to take them to the Malfoy Manor to play. When Draco had gone to Hogwarts and Dani and Alex had gone to muggle boarding school they had kept in touch. But everything was different now. They were some of Voldemort's most loyal followers, and she and Alex were practically blood-traitors.

"We'd better get going," Alex said, breaking the silence. He gently grabbed Dani's upper arm and started steering her out of the shop.

"See you at school Draco," Dani said, following her brother's lead. Draco nodded nervously, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

They passed Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid as they walked to the joke shop. The shop turned out to be the most crowded store they had been in all day. It was full of children and teenagers emitting loud squeals of delight and cries of shock. Parents chased after their children as the bounced from one exhibit to the next. Fred and George, whom they had met their first day at the Burrow, waved at them as they entered. They explored the shop for a while before Mrs. Weasley asked them and Ginny to go get a table for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron. She said she would follow with the other three as soon as she found them. The three of them and Hagrid walked the street, the others talking about the new school year as Dani silently wondered where the other three had disappeared to. She realized that she had not seen them since they had left the robe shop.

X X X

Dani could not sleep that night. She tossed and turned for hours before giving up. Quietly, she crept out of the room she shared with Ginny and Hermione, and walked downstairs. She walked toward the kitchen, which she thought was far enough away from the bedrooms that she would not wake anybody. When she entered the kitchen, she found she was not the only one that was having trouble sleeping. Harry had jumped slightly when she had opened the door.

"Sorry," she said apologetically. "Do you mind if I join you?" He shook his head no and motioned for her to sit down.

"What's that?' Harry asked, gesturing to the yellowing book in her hand.

"It's my mother's diary. Severus gave it to us a few years ago, so that we could understand her. As you can tell, she kept a very detailed account of her life," she explained, showing him the book's thickness.

"Wow. You've read all that?"

"Yes, several times over the past few years. She's a hard person to understand. I mean, I love her and I appreciate what she tried to do for Alex and I, but…she still loved him. Even in the end. I just can't understand that," she said, shrugging helplessly.

"That is hard to understand," Harry muttered. "Did he love her?"

"Don't know. She thought he did."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each contemplating the idea of Voldemort feeling a positive human emotion. From what Harry had experienced that seemed impossible. He was pure evil, only after power.

"Dumbledore's asked me to lend you her diary. He says that he thinks he's found a way to get rid of him, and the contents of this diary could help. He also said that you will be the one to do this. Is that true?" she asked, looking him directly in the eye.

"Yes," Harry answered, returning her gaze. Silently she handed him the diary.

"Only you and Dumbledore can see this," she said, getting up. He nodded, gently holding the fragile book. "And Harry," she said, pausing in the doorway. He looked back up at her. "Please take of it, it's all I have of her."

He heard her walk back up the stairs. He stared at the diary, immediately intrigued by it. Her mother was probably the only person who really knew Voldemort. But had he told her everything? Had he truly trusted someone? If so, what had been so special about her that Voldemort had kept her around for as long as he did?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

The morning of September first was a chaotic one. Mrs. Weasley ran around the house making sure everyone had all their laundry. Ron had overslept and Mrs. Weasley was hounding him to finish packing. After a quick breakfast and one last check to make sure everyone had everything, they last for King's Cross. They were quite a sight on the muggle underground with five trunks, two owls, and a cat.

When they finally arrived, they only had a few minutes to load their luggage and board. Mrs. Weasley said a quick good-bye to her children and everyone else. Ron and Hermione separated from the group in order to go to prefects' meeting and then do rounds. Ginny also left to find her boyfriend Dean, leaving Harry, Alex, and Dani to find their own compartment.

"So what house do think you guys will be in?" Harry asked, closing the compartment's door.

"No idea, I'd love not to be in Slytherin though," Alex said. "If only just to piss off dear old Dad."

Dani rolled her eyes at her brother's statement. "Doesn't matter if we're in Slytherin or not. When he finds out that we won't join him and his cause, he'll kill us regardless of if we were in Slytherin." She pulled out a book and began reading, reminding Harry a lot of Hermione.

"Well if you get sorted into Gryffindor, you need to try out for our quidditch team," Harry said to Taylor.

"Definitely, it would be great to finally be able to play."

As the boys continued to discuss quidditch, Neville Longbottom, a Gryffindor, and Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw joined them. To Harry's surprise, Dani and Luna got along really well. Dani was more like Hermione, but seemed to enjoy Luna's eccentricity. At one point Harry saw Draco pass by, which was odd because Ron and Hermione were both still in the prefects' meeting. He quietly excused himself and followed Draco under his Invisibility Cloak.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked, entering the compartment.

"I don't know. He disappeared quite some time ago," Luna said.

"I'll be back," Dani said, getting up to leave. "Alex will you get my stuff in case I don't make it back before we stop."

"Sure. Hurry back," he called after her.

As she walked down the train looking for a specific person, she felt the train lurch to a stop, causing her to grab a railing for support. She then fought her way against the tide of students trying to get onto the platform. As the train emptied, she reached the last compartment. Its blinds were closed, but she sense someone was still inside. Hoping that the person she was looking for was inside, she slid open the door.

"Draco, who are you talking to?" Draco, who had been glaring at the floor, spun around to face her.

"Dani! What are you-Nothing, no one," he spluttered, surprised by her sudden appearance.

"Well, ok, it sounded like you were talking to someone though," she said, not really believing him because she could sense another presence even if she could not see anyone. "How are you? You seemed nervous yesterday. Is there something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine," he said, avoiding her gaze.

"Draco, I know you're lying. Just tell me. I'm your friend, you can trust me," she pleaded. She felt afraid though she could not explain it. Draco had always been so open with her. He was like a second brother. He only ever hid things from her if he had done something really bad. What could he have done?

"It's none of your business," he snapped, glaring at her now. "And stay out of my head!"

"Draco, you know I'd never—"

But he pushed passed her before she could finish. She sighed in defeat, hoping she would have a chance to talk to him later. Carefully she inched out foot, using it to feel the ground that appeared empty. When her foot hit something solid, she bent down and felt a thin fabric. She pulled it off to find Harry in a body-binding curse with a broken nose. She removed the jinx and fixed his nose before questioning him.

"What were you doing?" she asked, helping him up.

"I was…gathering information," he said, not quite meeting her gaze.

"About Draco, why?"

"Well, we saw him go into Borgin and Burkes the day we were in Diagon Alley. We followed him. He's up to something, I know it. I think he's…"

His voice trailed away as he finally made eye contact with Dani. She biting her lip and looking concerned. Harry was not sure he should continue. After all, she had just said that she and Draco were friends.

"We've been friends all my life. Severus used to take us to the Malfoy Manor to play. However, friends can have differing opinions and can grow apart because of them. You think he's a Death Eater, don't you?"

"Yes," Harry said, surprised by her honesty and bluntness.

"I suspect as much, but I wasn't able to confirm anything. There's something he definitely doesn't want me to know. But if he is, then Severus knows and so does Dumbledore. And if they know, they'll keep an eye on him. Us interfering could only get him or his family killed. I know you two don't get along, Draco's written to me about you in the past, but he's not a murderer. He's not a real Death Eater. I bet you anything he was forced into it somehow."

She was pleading with Harry, asking him to understand, to stay out of it as much as possible. He gave a noncommittal nod, and they made their way to platform, where they met Tonks, who looked as depressed as ever. She escorted them to the castle. They walked mostly in silence after Dani explained why they had not gotten off the train with the other students. Harry watched her as they walked. She was the only one who had agreed with him about his theory. She had also given him her mother's diary that may contain information on how to kill her father. He felt sure she was on his side; everything about her said so. But he bothered him how she continued to trust Malfoy and Snape. Especially since they both worked for Voldemort. It reminded him of Dumbledore, who trusted so easily. Would they both get hurt because of it?

When they reached the school, Snape and Alex were waiting for them in the entrance. Snape was holding the Sorting Hat and shooting daggers at Harry, while Alex simply looked relieved when he saw his sister. Harry guessed that the sorting was finished and nodded good-bye to Dani as he continued on to the Great Hall. She gave him a small smile as she followed Snape and Alex into an antechamber off the Hall to be sorted.

XXX

Just as dessert was ending, Alex sat down opposite Harry and Ron and next to Hermione.

"Guess I'm in your house," he said, grabbing some pie before it disappeared. "Dani's in Ravenclaw. I have to admit I was a bit worried she'd be sorted into Slytherin. She's good for the most part, but piss her off one too many times and she can be ruthless. Would've hated for her to be surrounded by people that would exploit that trait."

His statement surprised the other three. Dani was a talented witch and very intelligent, but she didn't seem like someone who could even be mean. Harry looked at the Ravenclaw table and saw she was sitting by Luna and appeared to be having a pleasant conversation. Luna was one of the kindest people Harry new. If anyone could be a positive influence on Dani, she could.

XXX

The first few days of classes passed in a blur for Dani. She had to reorient herself within the castle, surprised at how much she had forgotten. She was taking Charms, D.A.D.A., Herbology, Potions, Transfiguration, and Ancient Runes. She only had Charms and Transfiguration with the Gryffindors, and Ancient Runes with Hermione. She guessed that it was not a popular subject as the N.E.W.T.'s class was just a handful of students from all four houses. The amount of work was surprising at first, she had never had this much work even when Severus was home-schooling her and Alex. She quickly noticed that most students feared and even hated Severus, even those in Slytherin were a bit afraid of him. She was not completely surprised by her classmates' reactions—she remembered the other students and their behavior from when she used to live here—but it was odd to see some of them look at him with such loathing. In their first D.A.D.A. class, he had them practice nonverbal spells. She could not contain her surprise that the other students had not already learned them or even been introduced to them. Nonverbal spells were tricky, and some spells were harder to perform than others. She had been practicing for years and had only gotten the hang of them a few months ago. When the lesson was over, she caught the approving nodded from Severus that acknowledged her success with the spell. She flashed a quick smile before leaving and heading to the great hall for lunch.

She had not yet made many friends in her year. Hermione had been right: only the older students recalled the name Riddle, and now eyed her suspiciously. However, she was grateful they did not voice their questions or thoughts anywhere where she could her them. Life was just easier that way.

When she reached the Hall she noticed a few girls that appeared to be fawning over him surrounded her brother. And as always, he was loving it. She rolled her eyes and made a quick sandwich before heading outside. It was a nice day out and she wanted to enjoy it. She sat by the lake chewing her food and absent-mindedly scanned her Runes book.

"Mind if I join you?" an airy voice asked. Dani looked up to see Luna standing beside her.

"Sure."

"How are your classes going?" she asked, sitting down next to Dani.

"Fine, I wish I had been able to take Care of Magical Creatures. Though I've heard it's not really worth taking," Dani said, picking the remains of her sandwich apart and throwing them into the lake.

"I like the class. The others just can't appreciate it," Luna said in her characteristic dreamy voice, blankly looking out at the lake. "You're brother seems to adjusting quite well."

Dani snorted. "Yes, he's quite the social one, and he's always had a way with girls."

"Don't worry about the others, they're always afraid of something or someone new. They'll come around eventually," Luna said, getting up to leave. "Besides, you've already made friends."

"Yes, I suppose I have," Dani said, following her up to the castle. "Thanks Luna," she called as she made her way to Charms.

XXX

Dani made it to Charms with just a few minutes to spare. Harry noticed her cheeks were flushed and her dark hair looked a little windswept. She sat down in the back of the class next to Hermione, Harry, and Ron. Hermione sent her a questioningly look, but only received a shake of the head from Dani, who was trying to control her breathing.

"Just lost track of the time," she panted.

Hermione was stopped from asking anymore question by Flitwick's appearance. As usual, Harry and Ron struggled to perform the charm, while Hermione succeed within the first five minutes of practicing. Harry looked over at Dani, who—he was surprised to see—had a book and parchment under the desk and writing away hastily.

"What are you doing?" Hermione whispered.

"I can perform these charms already," she said, without looking up. "Might as well use this time to get some work done. Merlin knows I've got plenty to do."

Hermione, left speechless by her explanation, turned to help Ron and Harry with their efforts. Harry had to hide his face to prevent Hermione from seeing the smirk on his face. When he looked back up again he saw Dani looking at him curiously. He felt heat rise to his face and looked away. He spent rest of the class period avoiding her eyes, though he did not understand why. When they exited the class Dani excused herself, saying she would see them later. Harry watched her walk in the opposite direction, and noticed a pale blond head not fair in front of her. Reluctantly, he followed the other two to their next class.

XXX

"Draco," she called, pulling on his sleeve. He and a few of his friends stopped and looked at her. After recovering from his shock, Draco waved his friends on.

"What?" he hissed. "What do you want?"

"I just want to talk to you, is that alright?" she snapped back.

"No," he spat venomously. "Why can't you understand that? It's clear we're on different sides. You've made your decision, and I've made mine. We're not friends anymore."

He spun around without glancing back, leaving a very hurt and upset Dani standing in the middle of the corridor and receiving curious stares from passersby. _I guess you're right Draco_, she thought sadly as she left. She decided to go to the library, where she could be alone for a while.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

A normal rhythm settled over the students of Hogwarts. They attended classes and club meetings, the most prominent of which was Slughorn's. A select group practiced for quidditch matches, and all crammed in studying wherever they could. In other words, life at Hogwarts normal. In fact, sometimes the students forgot that there was a war going on outside Hogwarts' walls. This sense of security would last until the _Prophet_ reported attacks or deaths, or students received bad news from home. Several students' families had gone into hiding or were missing. These reports would cause most of the student body and staff to be on alert or tense for days afterward.

However, the tension that filled the students today was of a more competitive nature: it was the first quidditch match of the season, Slytherin versus Gryffindor. Harry felt confident about the team he had assembled. Ginny, Katie, and Alex were spectacular chasers. Peakes and Coote, the new beaters, were pretty talented as well, though not as talented as Fred and George had been. His only concern was Ron, who—even after a year on the team, even after helping the win the Cup last year—still lacked confidence in his own ability. Which is why Harry had decided to trick his friend, and make him think that his pumpkin juice was spiked with Felix Felicis. He made sure to let Hermione see, counting on her reaction. Thanks to Hermione, it had worked.

"Everyone ready to kick some Slytherin arse?" Alex asked, walking up behind Hermione and Ron and dragging Dani with him. "Nice hat Luna."

Luna's thanks were drowned out by a pack of giggling girls led by Lavender Brown and Romilda Vane. It sounded like they were all trying to say "Good luck," but it was difficult to understand them through all the giggling. As they left to go to the quidditch pitch, Harry heard Lavender manage to squeal out "Good luck, Ron!" before they disappeared from sight. Harry caught Hermione and Dani rolling their eyes at each other, but he thought Dani looked more amused than Hermione, who looked annoyed, at their classmate's actions.

"You enjoy that too much, ya know?" Dani said, turning to smirk at her brother, her messy ponytail swishing as she turned. Alex only smirked back at his sister, refusing to say anything. "Come on Luna, Hermione. We needed to go get seats."

They wished the Gryffindor team good luck, and followed the mass of students to the pitch. Harry watched them go and saw them laugh. He could not deny that he found Dani very pretty. He had heard the other girls complaining about her, saying she was just plain and did not understand all the attention she received from their male classmates. Harry did. She had long wavy black hair that was almost always thrown up in a messy ponytail like today, rarely wore make up, had gorgeous dark eyes that he swore sometimes looked blue, and was not as giggly as the other girls. He was actually able to talk to her, she had even helped him out with his schoolwork when quidditch practice, meetings with Dumbledore, and detentions and left him with a lot of work to do at the last minute. He was even starting to get the hang of nonverbal spells (a fact that irritated Snape to no end). He knew he liked her from the twisting in his gut and the heat in his face when he saw her. But she was his friend's sister, Voldemort's daughter, and Snape's adopted daughter. How much more complicated could that get?

XXX

"Do think he'll be ok?" Hermione asked worriedly as she watched Ron guard the goals.

"I'm sure he'll do _and_ be fine," Dani said exasperatedly as she steadied Luna, who had almost been knocked over because of the wait of her lion hat when Seamus and Neville had bumped into her. She noticed Lavender sitting a few rows in front of them. She looked about ready to explode. Dani had to look away to keep from laughing.

"He's blocked most of the goals and hasn't fallen off his broom. Plus he had that potion, he should be fine," Luna said before making her hat roar again when Gryffindor scored. Hermione shot her a glare that Luna was too distracted to notice.

"Hermione just calm down and enjoy the game," Dani said, unable to contain her laughter. "By the way, I think you and Ron need to have a talk…before someone else does."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione snapped, slightly confused, but upset for being laughed at.

"I'm talking about how other girls are noticing Ron, particularly Lavender. And she's the kind of girl who will make her feelings known," Dani said. Hermione was still looking at her confused. Dani sighed, "All I'm saying is to beat her to it."

Hermione blushed, but was speechless. They watched the game for a while in silence before Hermione spoke again.

"Harry and Alex are receiving a lot of attention as well," she muttered, still red in the face.

"Yes, but both are used to having a lot of attention. From what you've told me, Ron's not. Besides, Alex knows how to handle girls. He doesn't really take them seriously because most can't get out a coherent sentence around him. And Harry doesn't seem completely oblivious and can ignore the unwanted attention, if that's what it is to him."

She cheered when her brother scored, and became absorbed in the game after that. Hermione too returned her attention to the game, pushing their conversation to the back of her mind for now. After about twenty more minutes, Harry caught the snitch. The roar of the stadium was deafening.

"I guess they'll be quite a celebration tonight," Dani shouted to Hermione as they pushed their way through the mass of students back to the school. Hermione only had a chance to nod her head in confirmation before she, Dani, and Luna were swept apart and pushed in the directions of their respective dorms.

Dani reached her common room and parted from Luna, wanting to escape the din. When she reached her dorm, she began peeling off the layers of clothes she had to match. It had been an extremely cold day for October. As she threw her gloves, scarf, and coat on the floor at the foot of her bed, she noticed a folded piece of paper on her pillow. She walked over, picked up, and opened it.

_Danielle,_

_Please come to my office as soon as you get this. There are some things we need to discuss._

_-Severus_

She made her way back to the common, which was still full of people reliving the match and so she had to force her way to the door. The halls were eerily empty for a Saturday. It was not even after hours yet. She made her way quickly to Severus' office in the dungeons, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. _It's probably just the portraits_, she thought. Finally, she reached his office, and knocked. After hearing a "come in," she opened the door and entered.

"Hi Dad," she said after making sure no one was in the office. He had forbidden them to call him anything but "professor" in the presence of students and his colleagues. He motioned for her to take a seat in front of him. She had always hated his office. It was fully of organisms floating in various substances that seemed to emit a green eerie glow. He placed his quill down and looked up from whatever he had been working on.

"How are you enjoying Hogwarts?" he asked. Dani thought this was an odd question considering the urgency of his note. But she answered, knowing he had his reasons.

"I love it. I missed being here. I like my classes and am doing well. Plus it's nice to have a warm place to sleep and food to eat everyday. I've even made some friends," she answered, eyeing him curiously.

"Yes, I've noticed the company you keep," he said, staring her in the eyes. She could block him easily if he tried anything, but she knew he would not. He she would tell him.

"The Weasley's are very kind people. Their children are good friends. As are Hermione, Harry, and Luna; regardless of their quirks," she stated simply.

"It's your acquaintanceship with Potter that concerns me."

"He's nothing like what you've led Alex and I to believe. He's kind, brave, and reasonably talented. He has a bit of a hero complex and can be a bit of a martyr at times. However, he's been through a lot. Others have been through less and are worse people than him," she reasoned. Snape said nothing. She sighed, "I know you didn't like his father, and I know you have a good reason as to why, even if I don't know it. But Harry's not like him."

"What about Draco?" Snape asked, after a few moments of silence. "Why does it seem that you two are no longer friends?"

"Because he no longer wishes to be," she said, meeting his gaze. "To use his words, we've both made are decisions and are no longer on the same side. Meaning he's a Death Eater, isn't he?"

"That's none of your concern," Snape said. Dani took his answer for a yes though. She sighed, lowering her gaze. "You shouldn't write him off so quickly. There are extenuating circumstances that you know nothing about."

She nodded, still not meeting his gaze. "Did you see the match?" she asked.

"Yes, Alex did very well," Severus said, not hiding the pride in his voice. Dani smiled and met his gaze again. "Have you talked to him recently?"

"No, I will tomorrow. I expect he's celebrating tonight. By the way, I have signed your permission slip to go to Hogsmeade next weekend. I only ask that you be careful and aware of your surroundings while you're there. You will not be as safe there as you are inside these walls. Now, you'd better get back to your dorm before it gets much later," Snape explained. Dani recognized the dismissal and got up to leave.

"Night Dad," she said, pausing at the door.

"Good night, Danielle."

XXX

Dani met Hermione and Ginny in the library the next day. Dani had been helping Ginny in Potions. It seemed to be a common theme with most Gryffindors: they did not have an easy time with Potions. She took her normal seat besides Ginny, noticing as she did that Hermione's eyes were read and puffy. She shot a questioning look to Ginny, who began writing something on a scratch bit of parchment. When she had finished, she pushed it over to Dani.

_ Lavender kissed Ron last night. It was quite disgusting really, but I guess they're a thing now._

Dani sighed sadly, but did not say anything. She and Ginny knew Hermione would not talk about it. Quietly, she helped Ginny with her potions essay. Neither wanting to bother Hermione. They remind like that for a few hours until Ginny left, claiming she needed a nap. Once she was gone, Hermione spoke.

"You were right," she whispered. Dani remind silent, not exactly proud of this fact. "It's my own fault."

"Not entirely, Ron is just thinking with his dick. He's not used to getting this kind of attention. Soon he'll be stuck with a very unstable girl and not know what to do about her. Then he'll appreciate you more when you two are ready," Dani said, trying to sound reassuring.

"What makes you so sure?" she asked, her voice hopeful

"Gut feeling," she said. Hermione gave a weak smile and returned to her work. Dani noticed Draco walking behind her, intently looking for a book. He looked ill. His face was thin and his sunken and tired. It did not look like he was eating well. He saw her watching him, and hurried out of her sight. She sighed, and returned to her work, occasionally asking Hermione questions about their Ancient Runes work.

"You can practically translate without using a guide! Why do you keep asking questions?" Hermione asked, throwing her quill down.

"Because this involves Runes and History of Magic stuff. And while I don't struggle with History, I tend to forget things. You don't," Dani said shrugging and searching through her notes again.

"Here, you can borrow my notes," Hermione said, handing Dani a thick stack of paper. "You can give them to me tomorrow, I have a Slug Club meeting and patrol tonight."

Hermione gathered her things and shoved them into her bag, which looked like it was ready to burst. Dani noticed the sun was setting and groaned. She had been studying all day, and had not had time to go help Hagrid with his magical creatures. She gathered up her things and followed Hermione out of the library. She enjoyed taking care of the various creatures, especially the hippogriffs. They were beautiful creatures. She would just have to try and go later this week. She and Hermione separated outside the library: Hermione wanted to drop her things of in Gryffindor Tower, and Dani headed off to dinner.

XXX

They next week flew by for the students at Hogwarts, which was fine for them because they were all ready for a trip to Hogsmeade. That Saturday, they woke to find the grounds blanked by snow. It looked like winter was coming early that year.

Harry left with Hermione, but had plans to meet Ron later, hopefully sans Lavender. He had yet to tell Hermione. He did not think that she would be happy if Ron joined them, they had not been speaking lately. He decided he would just worry about it later. It was possible that Ron would not even show up.

Hogsmeade was not as enjoyable as it had once been. It reminded him of their trip to Diagon Alley before the start of term. Many of the shops were closed and the shoppers were in a hurry to complete their shopping as quickly as possible. Eventually, Hermione and Harry just headed to The Three Broomsticks, desperate for heat and a place to sit. Hermione did not stay long though. They had just barely gotten their drinks when she quickly excused herself and left. Harry followed her with his eyes and discovered the cause of her distress: Ron and Lavender had walked in and were surrounded by Lavender's friends. He saw two figures push pass the group and head over to him.

"Mind if we join you?" Dani asked as she and Luna reached him. He nodded and gestured them to sit down. "Hermione told us you were here. She said she had forgotten to do something, but…"

Dani nodded in Ron's direction as she and Luna took off their warm layers and sat down. He ordered them each a butter beer for which they thanked him. Harry noticed how pretty Dani looked with her cheeks flushed and snow in her hair. He felt himself beginning to blush.

"Not as cheerful as it used to be, is it?" Luna asked.

"No," Harry agreed, thankful to Luna for saying something. "I expect a lot of people are going into hiding."

Ron came over and sat beside Harry, looking exhausted. He began drinking the butter beer that Hermione had left behind. He then ordered another, but spewed it out and sprayed them all in the process.

"What?" Dani asked as she cleaned the spray off her.

"That git Dean is snogging my sister!" he hissed under his breath. Harry grabbed Ron and forced him back in his seat. Dani just rolled her eyes at him.

"How do you think she feels about you snogging Lavender all over the castle?" Dani shot at him.

"I-she-that's different!" he spluttered.

"Whatever," Dani said, rolling her eyes again. Harry had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Luna, whether bored or oblivious to the conversation, got up and drifted over to a table that Neville and Seamus were sitting at. Ron remained silent and drank his butter beer, but continued to shoot dark looks at the couple in the corner until they got up and left.

"So," Harry said, attempting to distract Ron, "where's Alex? I haven't seen him all day."

"I think he's out with a seventh year girl from Hufflepuff. I forget her name. He may already be back at the castle, he had detention with McGonagall this afternoon."

As she talked, Harry saw Malfoy slip into a door that led to the loo, clearly not wanting to be seen. However, Slughorn, who was making his way to Harry, obstructed his view.

"Harry, m'boy, how are you?" he said warmly.

"Fine, Professor. We're just enjoying the warmth," Harry said, trying to sound friendly as he remembered that Dumbledore had asked him to be on good terms with Slughorn. Though he did not know why yet, he knew Dumbledore would tell him in time so he was willing to do as he asked. Slughorn looked at the other two, apparently just realizing they were there.

"Oh, hello Weatherby and Riddle. How are you two today?" he asked, his voice faltering as he said Dani's name. Ron apparently did not hear him as he watched Lavender approach him, fear in his eyes.

"We're fine professor," Dani said, forcing a smile. "Just enjoying our Saturday. We should actually be heading back, it's getting late."

"Right, right," Slughorn agreed, giving them a distracted wave good-bye. They put on their winter gear, Ron probably the fastest of the three, and left. Harry saw a disgruntled-looking Lavender head back to her friends.

The winds had picked up, causing snow to shoot in their faces as the walked. They trudged through the snow, faces down, and in silence. It was not until they were halfway back that they looked up. They heard a blood-curling scream, and ran to see what it was. They arrived in time to see Katie Bell fall to the ground and pass out. Her friend panicked and repeatedly whispered, "I told her not to touch it." They found that it referred to an ugly necklace that had fallen into the snow. Just as Harry walked closer to it, Hagrid came into view and told him to use the wrappings to pick it up, and not touch it with his skin. He picked Katie up and led them all back to the castle.

McGonagall and Snape questioned them over what had happened. However, none of them were able to give a decent answer, and Harry's suggestion that Malfoy was behind it was quickly shot down. They were told that Katie would be sent to St. Mungo's, and then sent to their dorms. Ron practically ran, not wanting to meet an angry Lavender. Harry barely had time to see Dani's apologetic look for not backing him up before being pulled to Gryffindor Tower. Once there, Ron ran to the boy's dormitory while Harry went over to Hermione and tried to talk to her. She too, however, dismissed his theory, and went to bed. Harry finally gave up and went to bed as well. But he was more convinced than ever that Malfoy was a Death Eater and that he had something to do with the cursed necklace.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

Alex tried to ignore it. He really did. He constantly told himself that he was imagining it; that they would not be that stupid. However, the change in his sister told him he could not ignore the signs any more. At first he had just thought the changes were because they were no longer on the run. And maybe that was part of it, but now he thought there was something else. They had been growing closer for a few months now….

It started when he joined her for a study session in the library. He had been hiding from Hermione and was tired of Ron and Lavender. Alex had only caught a glimpse of them, and did not think anything of it (of course he had been rather distracted at the time). But then they started spending a lot more time together. He was not concerned until recently, when he started thinking that there was more than friendship between them. Alex had not heard nor seen anything to support his suspicions; his only proof came from the change in Dani's attitude. Her eyes were a light blue, something they had not been in a while. She smiled and laughed more, but mostly when she was with him. She had not ever liked anyone before, so she probably did not recognize what was going on. But he knew Harry had and did know what was going on. It obvious he liked her, but it was obvious he was struggling with that. Whether it was because of their father or because he and Harry were friends, Alex was not sure. He was sure that he had to say something, if only to ease his own conscience and know he had done something. He just did not want Dani to get hurt.

"Hey Harry, can we talk, er, in private?" Alex asked, feeling more uncomfortable than he had ever felt before. Harry nodded and followed him out of the common room. Once they were in a secluded corridor away from eavesdroppers Alex stopped and turned to Harry.

"What is it?" Harry asked, looking confused.

"It's…it's about Dani," Alex said, still uncomfortable about the situation he had put himself in. He did not miss the flash of concern and worry in Harry's eyes.

"Is she ok? I saw her a little while ago, she seemed fine then," Harry rambled.

"Yeah she fine," Alex said, cutting him off. "It's just…I've noticed you two have been spending a lot of time together lately."

"Er, yeah, I guess," Harry muttered, shifting uncomfortably and avoiding eye contact with Alex. They stood there in silence for a few minutes, neither sure what to say. Finally Alex gave a frustrated sigh and spoke in a rush.

"Listen, I'm pretty sure you like her, and she may like you. But I need you to remember who her father and stepfather are, and there are things that both of you can't tell the other. Not me," he added hastily, "I just want her to be safe and happy. And if you are who everyone says you are, then that could be difficult…." Alex said, feeling guilty as he watched Harry's face during his speech.

"I do understand all that," he said, meeting Alex's gaze. "And you're right, I do like her. But I don't want to put her in a situation where she could get hurt. Enough people have been hurt because of me," he said bitterly. Then he added, "I did ask her to go to Slughorn's party with me, mostly because I don't have to worry about her slipping me a love potion, but also because she is my friend."

"Harry, I'm sorry about this," Alex apologized. He could tell Harry was upset, and that had not been his goal. "It's just… she's my baby sister, and I promised I would take care of her—"

"It's alright," Harry said, interrupting him. "I understand."

Alex nodded. "Well, like I said, I won't stop her. Wouldn't dare actually. Night"

He walked past Harry and back to the common room, leaving a confused, but slightly hopeful Harry behind him.

XXXX

"Hermione, what were you thinking?" Dani said annoyed, throwing a crumpled up bit of parchment at her friend.

"Hey!" Hermione said loudly, earning her a "Be quiet!" from Madame Pince. "Well, I didn't have a lot of options, plus going with McLaggen will annoy Ron the most."

Dani rolled her eyes and returned to her essay. She honestly did not understand all the dating drama. If you felt something for someone, you should just tell them. With the war going on, there was not a guarantee that you would have time later.

"So, I hear Harry asked you?" Hermione asked, her voice light and trying to mask her curiosity.

"Yes," Dani asked, not looking up from her essay. "Why?"

"No reason," Hermione said, though she seemed to be struggling with herself. After a few more minutes, she spoke again. "So, are you excited?"

"It's just a dinner party," she shrugged and sighed. "Just ask."

"Ask what?"

"Whatever it is you want to ask. I can tell your tiptoeing around your real question," Dani said, still working on her paper.

"Do you like Harry?" Hermione asked timidly. Dani's quill paused over her parchment, finally giving the conversation all of her attention. She looked at Hermione, but did not say anything.

"I'm sorry," Hermione quickly apologized, thinking that she had somehow upset her. "It's just that you two have been spending a lot of time together lately and—"

Dani cut her off, "Hermione, it's ok. I just haven't thought that about it before."

"Really?" Hermione asked, unable to hide the amount of surprise in her voice. Dani looked a little embarrassed, which made Hermione regret her lack of control.

"Really. It's been a while since I was in a normal, well normal-ish, environment. It's just not something that's been a part of my life…" she explained, shrugging helplessly. Hermione nodded and returned to her work. They finished their work in silence.

"I guess I might," Dani muttered as she made her way to her dormitory.

XXXX

Harry paced impatiently in front of the Great Hall, waiting for Dani. He had not talked to Dani in a couple of days, not since his discussion with Alex. Their conversation made him realize how impossible his desires were. Yes, he liked her. He liked her a lot. However, a romantic relationship with her would be unnecessarily complicated simply because of who they were. He would have to be content with being friends. Though as he thought about it, he could not ignore the pain in his gut that had nothing to do with hunger.

"Are you ok?"

Harry spun around to see Dani standing a few feet from him. Harry's breath caught as he looked at. Her normally messy hair was down and flowing in dark waves. She was wearing a one-shouldered, knee-length white dress accentuated with silver snowflakes, and a matching ribbon that tied around the waist. It was a simple dress, but she looked very pretty.

"Yeah, fine," he answered, finally finding his voice again. "You look very nice."

"Thanks. It's been forever since I've dressed up. Believe it or not, Luna helped me quite a bit," she said smiling as she approached him. As she got closer, Harry noticed that she was wearing just a bit of make up, and that her eyes were an icy-blue color. But how was that possible? Her eyes were dark, weren't? His curiosity must have shown in his face because Dani was now giving him a concerned look.

"You sure you're ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, fine. It's just your eyes…I thought they were darker," Harry muttered, blushing.

"Oh," she said, rolling her eyes like it was nothing. "They were. They kinda change with my mood. They get darker with negative emotions, and lighter with positive. It's weird, I know."

Harry, relieved that he was not imagining things, smiled and offered her his arm. As he led them to the party, he could not help but remember what Alex had said about her possibly liking him and that he would not dream of stopping her. He felt selfishly happy as they entered the party. Happier than he had felt in days.

The party was not horrible. They only saw Hermione for a minute: She spent most of the party avoiding McLaggen. Early on Harry had dodged a conversation with an overzealous biographer. After his encounters with Rita Skeeter he had had enough interviews and stories about him for a lifetime. They spent some time with Ginny and Dean, but the conversation was tense and awkward. Both Ginny and Dean seemed to be forcing themselves to be pleasant. Harry and Dani ended up being left alone for most of the party. They joked a lot, and laughed as they watched Hermione evade her very determined date. It was an hour before Slughorn cornered Harry.

"There you are!" Slughorn exclaimed. "I trust you and your date are enjoying the party? Oh, Miss Riddle, I didn't recognize you."

"It's a lovely party, Professor," Dani said, Harry nodding in agreement beside her.

"Good, good. I was just telling Professor Snape," Slughorn said, dragging Snape into view, "what a natural at potions you are."

A murderous look flashed across Snape's face when he saw Harry and Dani, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. It was now replaced by a look of doubtful curiosity. Harry avoided eye contact with Snape, and took a drink from his goblet. He had no desire for Snape to find out about his helpful potions book. If he started to perform badly in class, it would be harder for him to stay in Slughorn's favor, which was something that he needed to be in. He saved from further scrutiny by the appearance of Filch dragging Malfoy by the ear.

From what Harry heard, it sounded like Malfoy was trying to sneak into the party. However, when Slughorn told him he could stay, he looked disappointed. Snape, on the other hand, was trying to mask his anger. Once Slughorn had returned to the party, Snape led Draco out of the party. Curiosity getting the better of him, Harry turned to Dani to excuse himself.

"I'm coming with you," she said before he could open his mouth. Harry nodded, and followed after Snape and Malfoy. Once in the hall, he threw the invisibility over them. The noise from the party hid their footsteps, but they had to walked rather close together and hunch a bit to keep their feet from showing. Harry felt himself blush a little at their closeness, and was thankful she could not see. They found the two Slytherins immediately. The door to the room they were when was cracked, making it easy for them to eavesdrop.

They were arguing. Apparently, Draco had a job to do for Voldemort and did not want Snape's help; worried Snape would steal his glory. Snape was concerned that Draco was being reckless and was going to get caught or hurt. He said he had made an Unbreakable Vow to Malfoy's mother to keep him safe. Both stormed out of the room, Malfoy walking down the deserted corridor and Snape returning to the party. The conversation was all the proof Harry needed: Malfoy was a Death Eater _and_ he was planning something. In addition, Snape was trying to help him. When all they could hear was the party, Dani pulled on his sleeve and led him to a hidden alcove further down the corridor. She removed the cloak from them, handed it to Harry, and leaned against a window, sighing sadly.

"What do you he's trying to do?" Harry asked quietly, not wanting to risk getting caught.

"I don't know," she sighed again, folding her arms. "Something bad, something dangerous."

Harry nodded, not knowing what else to say. He knew she agreed with him, she was the only one who did. But she and Malfoy had once been friends, and he could tell that she was struggling with him being a Death Eater. He did not want to make her feel worse by going on about it. He looked at her, slightly mesmerized by what he saw. She was illuminated by moonlight, giving her an eerie, but beautiful, look. His trance was broken when she looked up at him.

"No one will believe us."

"I know, but it wouldn't hurt to tell them," Harry said, walking to stand next to her. He noticed her eyes were a slightly darker blue than they had been earlier.

She shrugged. "Should we go back?"

"We can, I'm fine here though."

"Me too," she said, smiling slightly. "The party was nice. I had fun. Thank you."

"Yeah, sure," he said, his voice almost inaudible. They were very close, closer than they had been under the cloak. Her face was just a few inches from him. He wanted to say something, but before he could, she closed the gap between them.

XXXX

She was surprised by her own boldness. But hadn't she thought yesterday that you should tell people how you feel? And more or less, that was what she was doing.

Harry's reaction was immediate. He had pulled her closer, while also pushing her against the window. The cold from the window was cancelled out from the heat of his body and the intensity of their kiss. When they finally pulled apart both were gasping and blushing from their exertions. Both stood frozen in place as they caught their breath. They may have even resumed, if it not been for a deep clearing of the throat behind them. Both jumped and looked at the source of the noise, Harry having to pull away to do so, causing a rush of cool air to hit Dani's body. Behind them stood a very livid Snape.

"It is after hours," he said, his voice shaking with anger. "You should both return to your _separate_dormitories. Forty points from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."

He stood aside, allowing them to pass. They did so quickly, Dani blushing furiously and avoiding eye contact with Severus. Once they were out of earshot, they slowed their pace. They walked in silence: Harry smiling idiotically even though he had just lost his house forty points and Dani still blushing and only managing a weak smile. They paused on the sixth floor, where the entrance to Ravenclaw was located.

Harry pulled her close again and whispered, "Best forty points I've ever lost," before kissing her again and sprinting up the stairs. Dani was thankful the riddle was easy: she was too dazed to really hear it let alone think about it. She went to bed grinning stupidly, and glad the other girls were fast asleep.

XXXX

Harry did not care that the Fat Lady scolded him before letting him into Gryffindor Tower that night. He did not even notice the weird looks his housemates were giving him. He just walked up to his room, still smiling like an idiot.

"Where've you been?" asked Ron, shooting him a similar weird look to what the other Gryffindors had.

"The party," Harry said, not wanting to really share why he was so happy.

"Ginny and the others came back an hour ago. None of them seemed to think it was that great," Ron prompted, for once seeing that there was more than what was being told. Harry shrugged as he changed into his pyjamas.

"I thought the party was fun. Night," Harry said shortly, drawing the curtains on his bed. He heard a very confused sounding "night" from the other side of the curtains. He did not care. His night had ended on a high note, and it was only going to stay a great evening if he did not tell anyone what, or who really, had made it so great. He feel asleep looking forward to the Christmas holiday more than he ever had before.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

Dani overslept the next morning, and was frantically packing her bag for the winter holiday. She had been searching for a scarf and glove set for almost twenty minutes before giving up and summoning them to her. She heard a yelp of surprise from someone on the stairwell that was followed by her scarf and gloves shooting through the cracked open door and landing on her bed before her. She packed them quickly, searched the room for any forgotten belongings, grabbed her bag and coat, and made her way to the main entrance, where she was meeting the others.

She would be spending Christmas at the Weasley's, as would Harry. Alex had decided to go stay with his friend Cameron Jacobs, a fellow Gryffindor seventh year; and Hermione, who was barely on speaking terms with Ron, was going home for the holidays to see her parents and extended family. Dani felt guilty for not staying at Hogwarts. It was the first time in years that she would have been able to spend the holidays with Severus, but instead she was leaving him. She knew he had "things" to do, but how long could that really take? What if said things went faster than expected? What if he was not busy, but just alone? She felt her gut twist in guilt for the twentieth time that morning, and tried to shake it off by reminding herself that he had told them to go and that Alex said he was not upset. If only she could talk to him before she left….Too lost in her own thoughts, she did not notice the person walking toward her until she bumped into him.

"I'm sorry," she said, startled and looking up, only to see Severus standing in front of her. He motioned for her to follow him, she did, and they ended up in an empty classroom above the main entrance. She could hear the excited chatter from those waiting to be taken to the train station below.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to remind you to be safe and make good choices over the holiday," he said. His voice and body language told her his mind was somewhere else, though she did not dare to find out where. But she could not help but feel hurt by his lack of attention.

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay? I'm sue Alex wouldn't mind—"

"No," he said, cutting her off. "You both would be extremely bored without your friends, and would more than likely get into some sort of trouble. Also, I will not be here as I have other _duties_ to attend to."

She nodded, feeling stupid. She fidgeted and avoided his gaze as a silence fell between them. She heard him sigh, and looked up.

"You need to get going. Have a good Christmas," he said, somewhat warmly.

"You too, Dad," she said, giving him a give hug good-bye and hurrying down to find the others.

A short time later, she found herself sharing a compartment with Hermione, Luna, and Ginny. They had been talking about night before. Well she and Ginny, they had been laughing at Hermione and her tales of McLaggen, while Luna was engrossed in the latest issue of _The__Quibbler_. Ginny looked about ten times happier than she had when she first sat down. Apparently, she and Dean were still fighting.

"Again, I cannot believe you went with him," Dani said, laughing.

"I know," Hermione sighed heavily, trying to regain her breath from laughing. "It was horrible. Now, we know why girls don't stick with him for long. Anyways, how was your night?"

"Fine," Dani said, taking an interest in the book that she been absently flipping through moments before. Unfortunately, Hermione and Ginny did not miss the change in their friend.

"Oh come on, we told you all about our miserable nights, tell us about yours," Ginny whined.

"Not that we're saying it was miserable," Hermione added.

"Oh, it wasn't."

Three pairs of eyes shot to Luna, who was still reading her magazine.

"What do you mean, Luna?" Ginny asked, a sly smile appearing on her face.

"Well, she got in very late and was very happy when she got back to the common room," she said as if it was the most obvious thing. "I would assume that meant she had a good time."

"How do you know I got back late?" Dani asked before she could stop herself. She blushed when Hermione and Ginny shot her questioning looks.

"I was looking for some belongings, you know how the others like to hide them. I saw you come in."

"So," Ginny said, turning back to Dani, "what made you so happy?"

"I just had a good time at the party," Dani lied.

"Oh please," Hermione said, rolling her eyes at Dani's failed attempt at deceiving them. "We were at that party. It wasn't that great."

""Course, neither were our dates," Ginny added. All three were staring at her expectantly now. Having been taken off guard by the original question, she had been unable to compose herself or recover enough to lie convincingly. She sighed, knowing she was not getting out of this compartment without telling them something.

"Fine," she groaned. "We kissed."

Hermione and Ginny squealed, which was a bit disconcerting, and Luna simply looked content with the news and returned to her magazine. Dani was blushing worse than ever, while the other two took the opportunity to drill her. She was embarrassed and uncomfortable, but it was a kind of nice to be having such a normal conversation over a normal event.

XXX

"You lost us forty points for that!" Ron yelled. Harry, who was sitting across from Ron, was beginning to regret telling Ron what had happened the night before.

"Can you not yell? It's just a few points, we're still in the lead," Harry said, shaking his head in disbelief. Of course, Ron would focus on the points.

"Sorry," Ron muttered. "Alex is going to kill you."

"Snape didn't, so I don't think Alex will. Don't even think he knows," Harry said. He honestly did not care what Alex said. They had talked and he knew where he stood on the whole thing. He muttered, "_I_ thought it was worth it."

"So why did I have to hear about Malfoy first? I mean, you don't _know_ what he was up to. At least you have proof for the thing with Dani," Ron joked, causing Harry to throw a cauldron cake at him. The train stopped shortly after, and they got their things to meet the other on the platform. They spotted the girls waiting for them. Harry watched Alex hug and kiss his sister good-bye, he saw Harry and made his way toward him.

"Take care of her, ok?" Alex said once he was within speaking distance. Harry nodded and they all bade each other good holidays. Harry and Ron walked joined Ginny and Dani, who had been joined by Mrs. Weasley.

"Everyone's here then? Good, let's go," Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully. Harry waved good-bye to Hermione, who was standing a few feet away from them with her parents, and held Dani's hand, lacing their fingers.

"Does he know?" he whispered to her.

"Possibly," she whispered back. "The girls didn't believe me about Draco."

"Ron's still undecided."

Harry saw Ginny looking at them curiously and reluctantly let go of Dani's hand. He quickened his pace to catch up with Ron, leaving Dani to fall in step with Ginny. Mrs. Weasley led to an empty alley and waved her wand. A moment later the Knight Bus appeared loudly before them. They arrived at the Weasley's twenty minutes later. They were all a bit dizzy as they got off, but Ron was a little green. They carried their things to their respective rooms as Mrs. Weasley prepared dinner. As usual the burrow was crowded: Fred and George were in their old room, Harry was in with Ron, Dani and Ginny in Ginny's room, Bill in Charlie's old room, and Fleur in Bill's. In addition, Lupin had been invited to Christmas dinner.

"I can't _stand_ her!" Ginny hissed as she closed the door behind her. "What he sees in her, I'll never know."

She threw herself ungracefully onto her bed, letting out a loud huff as she did. Dani smirked, but said nothing and continued reading an old quidditch magazine of Ginny's. She did not hate Fleur. Yes, the girl could be annoying at times, but her heart was in the right place. Even if the others did not believe it, Dani could tell that her feelings for Bill were genuine. However, she could also tell that it was going to either take time or a miracle for Ginny and Mrs. Weasley to accept her into the family.

"Does it matter if he's happy? I mean, you know she's not after him for his money. He doesn't get rich doing what he does. Plus he spends most of his time working for the Order, that's not something that guarantees a long life. She might actually love him."

Ginny lifted her head and glared at her friend. "Do not bring logic into this. I just want to fume."

"You're such a Gryffindor," Dani muttered. Ginny threw a small pillow at her with such force that Dani was thankful it had not been something harder.

"Go to sleep, Ravenclaw," Ginny said smirking as she turned off the lights. Dani rolled her eyes at her friend's antics, and set the magazine on the floor beside her cot. She crawled under her blankets and pulled them close around her.

"Now don't go sneaking off for any midnight rendez-vous," Ginny teased.

"Shut it," Dani said, causing Ginny to laugh. Again she rolled her eyes and snuggled further under the covers, regretting her decision of telling Ginny and the others what had happened at Slughorn's party. _Oh__well_, she thought,_they__probably__would__have__found__out__anyways_. She sighed, falling asleep within minutes.

She was awoken the next morning by something fuzzy pushing against her cheek. She opened her eyes and saw a small calico kitten curled up beside her, a green ribbon trailing behind it. She followed the ribbon to the end of the cot, where a stuffed stocking was lying. It looked like the kitten had decided to find a more comfortable place to sleep and to get rid of its bow. Dani pushed herself up and pulled the stocking toward her, pulling out the small card that was on top.

_Merry Christmas Dani! Have fun with the little rascal!_

_Love,_

_Alex_

_P.S. It's a boy._

Dani smiled. The kitten was now mewing and crawling into her lap. Once he was comfortable, he looked up at her with light green eyes, still mewing. She stroked his head, making him purr appreciatively.

"What should I call you?" she asked quietly, not wanting to wake Ginny. "Hmm, I'll have to think about that."

She pulled her stocking closer and began going through it. Severus had sent a book that dealt with camping. They contained spells and potions that would help with being undetected, healing injuries, and finding food when there was only wildlife. She could not help but think how useful it would have been a year ago. Mrs. Weasley had knitted her a navy blue sweater (Dani slipped it over her t-shirt, hoping the kitten would not attack it), Hermione and Ginny had gotten her several muggle novels, even Luna had sent her something; though she was not sure what it was. She set it aside, making a note to ask her about when they got back to Hogwarts. The final thing she pulled out of the stocking was her mother's diary. She frowned; surely Dumbledore and Harry had not gone through it all already? She set the book down gently on the head of her bed, deciding not to worry about it. She was skimming through the muggle books when Ginny woke up.

"Ah, he's cute," Ginny said as she watched the kitten fight with the empty stocking. "What's his name?"

"Rascal," Dani said, throwing the green ribbon into the squabble. "Thanks for the books by the way. I can't wait to read them."

"No problem, thanks for the new chaser gloves!" she said, excitedly waving them.

"You're welcome. They're from Alex as well; he said you needed new ones."

Ginny turned slightly pink at the explanation. Dani did not pay much attention to her though: Rascal had gotten tangled in the ribbon and she was trying to free him. Ginny continued to go through her stocking, occasionally exclaiming at an exciting gift. When she had finished, she donned her own sweater, and they went down to breakfast. Dani grabbed her kitten before leaving, not trusting him to be left alone: her stocking now had several holes in it from him.

"Morning girls," Mrs. Weasily said cheerily, as she made breakfast.

"Morning, thank you for the sweater," Dani said, sitting down beside Harry. She dropped Rascal in her lap, where he seemed content, and began putting food on her plate. The boys had beat them downstairs and were already inhaling their food. Remus Lupin had, apparently, decided to join them early and would be staying overnight. Dani knew that Harry had been looking forward to seeing him: he was Harry's last tie to his parents.

Bill and Lupin were discussing something that dealt with the order. Dani only caught snippets of what they were talking about, but she gathered that they were trying to gather support against Voldermort, as they had been in the fall. And as in the fall, they were having trouble doing so. Harry was the only other person listening: Ginny and Fred were having a war with their fake wands; George was talking to his father and Fleur; and Ron was hastily shoveling food in his mouth. There was a clanging of dishes, causing everyone to look at Mrs. Weasley.

"It's Percy!" she exclaimed. "Arthur, it's Percy! And he's brought the Minister!"

The change in the room's atmosphere was immediately noticeable. Fred, George, and Ginny were glaring; Ron had his mouth hanging open in mid-bite; Bill and Mr. Weasley were stony faced; and Fleur, Harry, and Lupin looked uncomfortable, but curious. Dani felt a little nervous herself. She knew that Percy and his family were not on speaking terms, but that was not what worried her. The Ministry did not know she existed, nor did she really want them to. Sure she could lie, but she knew the Weasley's were being followed and anyone associating with them would be investigated. Others may have brushed her off as just a friend from school, but if the Minister got involved…it might not stay that way for long.

"Danielle, I think it would be better if you went into the other room, at least until the Minister leaves," Lupin said quietly. His voice seemed to have shaken the others out of their reveries: they shot her a quick look before bracing themselves for whatever was coming. Dani nodded and left the room, Rascal following at her heels. The family room was colder than the kitchen, so she sat close to the fire and leaned against the side of an old armchair.

She could what was going on in the kitchen, but was grateful not to be apart of it. Even from the other room she could feel the tension. She heard the Minister ask to speak with Harry and heard them exit out the kitchen door. After they left, the kitchen was silent. She heard the scraping of a chair and footsteps after a few more minutes. The footsteps were coming toward her. She looked away from Rascal, who was deciding what he thought of the crackling fire, and saw Lupin walking toward her. He sat in a chair across from her. He looked very tired and shabby. She could not imagine someone so young being so worn out, it was sad. He met her gaze and seemed to study her a minute before speaking.

"So you're Danielle Riddle?" he mused. She did not answer, sensing that that was not what he wanted to ask. "You and Harry, you're friends?"

"Yes."

"More than friends?" he asked, trying to keep his voice void of emotion.

She blushed, "Possibly."

He sighed heavily. His face clearly showing his struggle and discomfort with what he was going to say. "Given who both of you are, I think anything more than friendship would be ill-advised. There will always be things that—"

"That we can't tell each other?" she finished. "I, _we_, know and understand that. Even as friends, we couldn't tell each other everything. I wouldn't want to know any of his and Dumbledore's plans for getting rid of Voldemort in case I'm ever captured….And I know you're just looking out for Harry," she added gently, "but you can trust our judgment. You can trust me."

Lupin smiled weakly and shook his head, amused by her bluntness and soft manner and slightly disturbed by how often they were trusting teenagers with such serious matters. They were all just children, but children that had faced and experienced much in their short lives. Before they could say anything else, a loud bang followed by shouting exploded from the kitchen. Lupin ran to see what was going, but Dani stayed where she was and restrained her cat from following. She knew that the commotion was not anything dangerous, just emotionally upsetting for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. She heard the door bang shut, and saw Fred, George, Ginny, Ron, and Harry quickly leave the kitchen, the first three looking extremely pleased with themselves. Ginny motioned for Dani to follow; she grabbed Rascal and followed Ginny up to her room.

"What did you do?" Dani asked as Ginny closed her door. Ginny smiled wickedly as she began explaining what she, George, and Fred had done.

"He looked ridiculous with porridge all over his indignant face!" she exclaimed, laughing as she finished her tale. Dani, who was sitting on the window seat looking out over the snow-blanketed countryside, was not really amused. While Ginny and her brothers felt he deserved what he got and thought it was entertaining, she knew Mrs. Weasley would be devastated. She smiled at her friend to please her, but kept her thoughts to herself. She did not want to get in the middle of a family matter. Merlin knew how dysfunctional her own was. Who was she to say anything?

They all spent the rest of the day avoiding Mrs. Weasley, who was alternating between silence and sobs. They had a snowball fight, during which the twins magically pummeled them all with snowballs. The four underage wizards were quickly forced inside and hurriedly changed into dry clothes before indulging in hot chocolate and sitting by the fire. Dinner was a very quiet affair, though Mrs. Weasley did try to put on a cheery face. There was not as much discussion, fun, or music as there had been the previous night. In fact, Harry and Lupin had a rather depressing conversation on werewolves, specifically Fenrir Greyback. Apparently he was the one that had attacked Lupin. They were all in bed by ten, the three troublemakers no longer as proud as they had been that morning.

Dani knew she should be exhausted: their snowball fight had lasted over an hour. But she could not fall asleep. An ominous feeling was keeping her awake. She could not explain it. There had not been any bad news. Could she somehow be sensing that Alex or Severus were in trouble? She sighed, grabbed her mother's diary, and crept downstairs. As she reached the main floor, she saw the kitchen light on. Curious, she went in there instead of the living room. When she opened the door, she saw Harry hunched over the table and reading a notebook. He looked up at the sound of the creaking door and smiled when he saw her. She smiled back at him, but was embarrassed by her racing pulse and blushed. It was the first time they had been alone since the night of the party. She closed the door and walked over to sit next to him, avoiding his eyes as she did.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, waiting for her to look at him.

"Yeah, you too?" she asked, fidgeting with the diary.

"Had some bad dreams. He's not happy, don't know why…" he muttered, talking more to himself than her.

"He?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"Voldemort. We have this weird connection. I can sometimes see into his mind or feel his emotions. I can't control it. I was supposed to learn occulumens, but never got the hang of it. Didn't I tell you?"

"No, I think Hermione said something in passing. I'm not sure I was supposed to know that."

"He knows," Harry said shrugging and leaning back in his chair. Dani did not know what to say, considering her own secret, and was silent before mustering up the courage to speak.

"What were you reading?"

"Your mother's diary. I had Hermione copy the contents and put them in this notepad for me. I thought you might like the diary back. I'm only up to her sixth year."

"Thank you," she whispered, finally meeting his gaze. He smiled and entwined their fingers. "What do you think of her?"

"I'm not sure," he said slowly, staring at their hands. "It's obvious she's a good person, but she loves _him_. She always did, despite was she knew he had done even in school. But then the Riddle she knew was different than who we know. He sounds almost human at times. I know her home life wasn't that great, but she never seemed needy. She just couldn't stop herself from caring.…" Harry looked up mid-ramble, looking Dani straight in the eye. "Does she always love him?"

Dani bit her lip, thinking how to answer. "From her writings, he seems normal for the first few years where they're together. She loses a baby after her father attacks her. She later writes that it sent him over the edge, but she never fully understood why. I think she always loved Tom Riddle, but never Voldemort."

"He's afraid of death," Harry said quietly. "He was probably trying to protect her, but…."

"Death is inevitable," Dani said. "It's normal, but so is protecting those you care about. Sometimes people go about it in the wrong way."

"Are we really defending him?" Harry asked, his voice surprised with a hint of anger.

"No, just trying to understand," she said gently. After a few moments of silence and butterflies building in her stomach, Dani decided that Harry should know about her ability. She knew a lot about him, but she did not think he knew as much about her. "I want to tell you something, but you can't tell _anyone_."

Harry nodded, waiting for her to continue.

Taking a deep breath, she explained, "I have this ability. No one who knows about it can say what it is. They doubt there's ever been a case before. I…I can tell what people are thinking or feeling without a spell or legilimency. For me, it's just like hearing a conversation or feeling the temperature in a building or outside. I can block it, and I usually do unless I think someone I care about is in danger or if I think I am…." She trailed off, waiting for his reaction. He squeezed her hand and gave a small smile.

"I'm glad you told me. Lupin said that he had talked to you. I know we can't tell each other everything, but I'm glad you trust me with this."

"Me too."

Dani squeezed his hand and made to get up, but was pulled into Harry's lap when he realized her intentions. His sudden action and unbalanced her and he had to help right her. When she glared at him, he merely gave a mischievous smirk before kissing her. It was not as intense as their first, but it was more intimate. It was gentle and slow, allowing Harry to pull her closer to him, holding her steady by her thigh. Dani was more restricted in movement as she was holding herself up by her arms, which were wrapped around his neck. As they kissed, an uncomfortable, but pleasure heat coursed through her skin wherever he touched her.

Dani rested her head in the space between his shoulder and neck, perfectly content to be held for the moment. She was not sure how long they sat there. When she started falling asleep, she decided to go to bed. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and went upstairs, smiling as she thought about how this was one of her better Christmases. She fell asleep remembering how Harry had held her, how safe she had felt. Her final thought was of her wishing that he could still be holding her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10**

**AN: So, I want to say thanks for everyone who continues to read this story. Especially my three constant reviewers: Kate, Slytherin Princess Jade, and GeorgeWeasleysgirl. I love all your reviews and am very thankful that you're sticking with me. And because I appreciate you all so much, I feel I should tell that since classes have started my life has gotten very busy. On top of school, I have work and volunteering. Because of these activities, I haven't had much time to write (and I feel VERY guilty about that). I want you to know that there are three more completed chapters, so you have at least three more weeks of regular updates. After that I can't guarantee anything besides that I will update as frequently as possible and that this story will not be abandoned nor will I just simply give up on it and do a really bad ending like I have with past stories.**

**Anyways, sorry for the long explanation. This story will be done, but updates may become less frequent as the semester progresses. I just wanted you all to know because I appreciate you all a lot! **

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

_ "Please Tom, just let them be. Our children are happy. Please leave them out of it!" _ the voice, _her_ voice, pleaded with him for the millionth time.

_"What I'm doing will ensure their safety,"_ he thought back.

He had made so many mistakes. He had overlooked the possibility of Potter's mudblood mother dying to save him and the consequences of her sacrifice. Not only had he lost his body and failed to kill the boy, but it was he who had killed Jackie. He had thought that by binding her soul to his he could keep her alive forever. He knew he had messed up almost immediately after binding her soul. The more he tore his sole apart, the sicker she became. He was able to give her potions to keep her alive and slow her aging, but he was never able to ignore the changes in her. As the years went by she had less energy and became very despondent…and withdrew from him.

He grimaced, remembering how the deeper he got into the Darts Arts, the more she avoided his touch. He was not as deformed then as he was now. Yes, his eyes had turned red and his nose was flatter, but he had still resembled a normal man. No, it was not his looks. It was him. He had pried into her mind once while she slept. He was too cold for her, too inhuman. It scared her, what he was doing. She was constantly begging him to stop. He remembered her reaction when she started getting sick. She cried on and off for days and refused to speak to him. She told him that she did not want to live forever, that being with him—Tom, not Voldemort—was enough. He had not listened, thinking she was just overreacting. He would find a way to fix it, and she would come to see it his way. He failed her, and then he lost her.

_ "Tom,"_ her voice was softer now, less urgent. _"Tom, I've always loved you, and I always will. I know you're not proud of every decision you've made in the past, but now's the time to make up for those decisions. If don't try to take over the world, no one will _want _to kill you. You can live for as long as you want in peace, and _our _children can have happy, safe, normal lives. Isn't that was this was about? Be strong enough to keep your family safe? Starting a war won't keep them alive."_

_ "ENOUGH! I am doing my best! They will be safe once they are here! Once I have taken over and rebuilt the wizarding world everything will be fine. They will be fine."_

_ "You plan to kill a boy, who is a close friend of your son's and your daughter's boyfriend. You'll probably end up killing many of the people they care about. How are they supposed to be fine then?"_

_ "They'll deal. I promised to keep them alive. Guaranteeing everyone's happiness is not always possible…Besides, _you _were supposed to be here," he added begrudgingly._

She was quiet for a quiet some time. He sensed all the emotions she was experiencing, and could tell she was trying to think of what to say to him next. Her presence in his head was much like her presence in the last few months of her life: sad and desperate. She was sad because she could not be with her children and she thought she had failed both them and him by not fighting with him enough. She was desperate to change things this time, and he knew she would always try to change his mind. He also knew that she _could_ change his mind if her argument was logical enough.

_"You may not be able to admit this to yourself, but I know the loss of our first child still haunts you. That wasn't our fault, Tom. It was my father's, and he got what he deserved. But if you continue on this path, you could lose another person you love; we both could. Could you survive another loss like that?"_

_ "I survived losing you."_

_ "You haven't lost me. You may not be able to touch me, but you can hear me and feel my presence and see me in your mind," _she said, still speaking calmly to him, _"you won't be able to do that with them."_

_ "I promise to take care of them to the best of my ability,"_ he thought gently. She was the only one who could ever calm him. The only one who was never afraid of confronting him in his rage. He missed her more than he cared to admit, but it is difficult to hide something from someone who lives in your head. _"However, that's _all_ I can promise."_

She did not say anything, but in his mind he imagined her sighing in defeat…for now at least. She would never stop fighting him. And honestly, he did not want her too. He feared the day that he would not here her voice. Funny how she could still make him feel everything he claimed to be above.

_"Why didn't you tell me about the fertility potion?"_

_ "You would never have taken it."_

_ "Why did you give it to me?"_

_ "I thought a child would make you happy, make you better…make you like me again. Though, I had only thought about one child. I suppose the potion was stronger than I realized. Why didn't you tell me about Danielle?"_

_ "Because you were scaring me. So many people were dying; I feared for my children's welfare…I always wished things had been different."_

_ "I know. Me too."_

_ "Just not in the same way."_

_ "Maybe more than you think. I was close to being good once, you know," he thought jokingly._

_ "Perhaps."_

_ "I will take care of them."_

_ "I know."_

_ "I…I love you, Jackie."_

_ "I love you too, Tom."_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11**

**AN: CHAPTER 14 IS ALMOST FINISHED! This is also the last chapter in year six. Chapter 15 will start in the year 7 time frame. I'm so excited (mostly because this is about the time I give up on a story and do a crappy ending, but I have so much inspiration for this one that it hasn't happened-and hopefully won't!)! Thanks for the reviews, btw :).**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

"There you are! I've been looking for you for days. Where have you been?"

Dani turned to see Harry walking toward her, looking both excited and relieved. She had been browsing for a book for Ancient Runes in the back part of the library. She was amazed that he had looked all through the library to find her. Though she did have to admit that she had been avoiding him for the past two days. Well, she had been avoiding Hermione and Ron too. She could tell that they new something, something that related to Voldemort. She also knew that it was something that she should not know, just in case the worse should happen.

"Mostly here," she answered; placing the book she had been looking at on the shelf because it did not suit her needs. "I have a big report due for Runes. Sorry that I haven't been around much."

"Actually you haven't been around at all. I know you've been avoiding me," he accused. She sighed heavily and faced him, crossing her arms as she did. "What I don't understand is why?"

"Because you know something," she said. "You know something about _him_ and you want to tell, but you can't. You can't tell until this is all over. Until then…it's just not a good idea for me to know anything that could help get rid of him."

Her resolution faded when her voice cracked at the end of her explanation. She could not even look him in the eye when she spoke. He did not understand why she thought she would ever be captured. He said that Dumbledore would never allow it. That she would be kept as safe as was possible. And though she knew that she could trust Snape and Dumbledore, she also knew that Voldemort was determined to find her and Alex. It rivaled his obsession with getting rid of Harry.

Frustrated, Harry ran his fingers through his hair, thinking of the right words to use. "Even if he ever finds you, you're a natural at occulumens. He won't be able to read your mind."

"I don't know that," she said. "He could be able to. You of all people should know how powerful he is."

Neither said anything for several minutes, both too stubborn to yield to the other's opinion. Eventually, Dani sighed at how ridiculous they were being, and crossed the distance to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did. He responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and touching his forehead to his, staring intently into her blue eyes.

"I just want _you_ to survive this," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that."

"I know," he said, his voice just as quiet as hers. "But I hate keeping secrets from you."

"And while I love that," she said, giving him a teasing smile, "this is the one situation where it's ok to keep secrets from me."

He smiled and pulled her into a tight hug, her head tucked under his chin. She inhaled his scent deeply, trying to commit it to memory. He always smelled clean. She loved that he did not wear any cologne or body spray; she always thought they were overkill. His smell was like him: simple and kind.

"Why are you so certain that Voldemort's after you and Alex? That he wants to capture you both?" he murmured into her hair.

"Severus says it's on his agenda. Very few of his plans fail. Unless they involve you, of course," she amended, her tone half-joking, half-serious.

"But you're involved with me. So using some sort of transitive property, isn't there a possibility that he won't be able to?"

He tried to make his comment light, but Dani saw through it. He was afraid that Voldemort would find her; afraid he would hurt her. She wanted to comfort him, but she was not sure how. She did not think that Voldemort would hurt her, but she could not be sure. In the end, all he was was a psychopathic murderer.

"Maybe," she said hopefully. She did not want to lie to him anymore than she had to. There were enough secrets between them; she did not have to hide everything from him. He could know what she was feeling. He pushed her away so that they were face-to-face, his hands resting on to her shoulders. She looked at him questioningly, his emotions too mixed up for her to follow.

"I won't let him hurt or take you," he promised, a hard, determined glint in his eyes.

"I know," she whispered, caught-off guard by his resolution. He pulled her close again, his lips crashing down on hers. Her fingers knotted in his hair pulling him closer, while his hands rested on her lower back doing the same. The amount of urgency and passion Harry put into the kiss left Dani breathless and emotionally exhausted when he pulled away. He was telling her everything he was afraid of through that kiss. They remained frozen in place. Their bodies still pressed together, both slightly red and out of breath, staring at each other. Someone clearing their throat brought them out of their trance.

They turned and saw Alex standing at the end of the row, looking both embarrassed and upset. Reluctantly, Harry let his arms fall from around Dani's waist. She stepped back from him, blushing furiously and avoiding eye contact with her brother.

"Dumbledore would like to speak to us in his office," he said, the forced calmness in his voice obvious. Dani nodded and grabbed her bag. Before following her brother, she gave Harry a fleeting kiss on the cheek, causing both his and Alex's faces to flame red.

XXX

"How long were you there?" Dani snapped, following Alex to Dumbledore's office.

"Too long," he muttered. "Must you do that in public? People could see."

"People generally don't go to that part of the library unless they want to be alone. No one would have been surprised by what they saw," she said matter-of-factly. "In fact, only a few months I heard rumors that you—"

"That was different!" he snapped. "You didn't actually see anything!"

"Not that time, no."

Dani saw Alex's hands clench as he struggled to control his temper. She felt bad for making him angry, but he was being ridiculous. She and Harry had been together for two months. She just wanted him to grow up already. How many times had she caught him? More than she cared to remember, and she had never acted so immature!

They reached the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Alex muttered the password, causing the staircase to move. Alex's body was still rigid with anger when they entered Dumbledore's office and sat down across from him. Dani was starting to worry that Alex was going to lose it at some point during this meeting. She could tell something was about to set him off.

"I see that you're both rather agitated this evening," Dumbledore said, his twinkling blue eyes intently staring at them over his half-moon spectacles. "I'm afraid that what I have to tell you will not put you in a better mood."

"Is something wrong, Professor?" Dani asked, keeping a wary on her brother.

"No, at the moment everything is fine," he said as if they were talking about the weather. "However, the very near future may not be so."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, his anger temporarily forgotten.

"What I am about to tell and ask of you must never leave this room. You must tell no one, including Severus and your friends. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," they said in unison.

"Alex, we have discussed you working for the Order after you finish here at Hogwarts. Both Severus and I have decided to allow you _and_ your sister to work with the Order."

"What?" Alex exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. "She's not of age! _And_ she still has a year left of school!"

"I will explain more if you allow me to," Dumbledore said, gesturing for Alex to sit down, but did not acknowledge his outburst with any other look or word. Alex complied, looking very unhappy as he did.

"There will come a time when it will no longer be safe for Danielle to be here. There will also be a time where I need someone to gather information from inside Voldemort's inner circle and back to the Order."

He paused a minute, letting his words sink in. Dani understood his meaning before Alex did. She knew what he was asking of her, and he knew that she would do it.

"So, Severus will no longer by the spy. Why?" she asked, trying to stall before Alex was able to reach her same conclusion.

"That I cannot tell you," he said. "But, whatever happens, Severus has been and will always be on our side. And no, he does not know what I'm asking of you."

"Which is what exactly?" Alex asked, looking between Dani and Dumbledore for answers.

"He wants me to allow myself to be captured by Voldemort, and then rely information to you on the outside."

Alex gaped at them, unable to form words for about three minutes. Even when he remembered how to speak again, he could not form a coherent sentence. All he could do was stare in disbelief at the other two. Finally, he spoke.

"How can you sit here and ask my sister to put herself in danger? Ask me to let her?"

"Because I do not believe that she will be in any danger," Dumbledore stated simply. "We all know that he has been working tirelessly to try and find you both since his return. Yet, he has never sent any of his Death Eaters after you. Instead, he is trying to get Severus to bring you both to him."

"What are you trying to say? That he actually cares about us?" Alex asked skeptically.

"He's doing this for our mother, isn't he?" Dani asked quietly.

"I can't say for sure why he does anything, but it is possible that he does care in some way."

"I don't believe this," Alex said, shaking his head. "This is insane. He's killed countless numbers of people. You think he won't kill her if she pisses him off or refuses to join him?"

"From what we know, he does not want either of you to join his Death Eaters. His only plans involve finding you and keeping you alive. So no, I don't think he'll kill her."

"I'll do it," Dani said, speaking as her brother opened his mouth to say something else. "I want him gone, and I want to help get rid of him. How will I contact Alex?"

"That all depends on the defenses of where he will keep you. You will have to figure it out then."

"Dani—"

"Alex, I'm doing this. No discussion required," she said firmly. Alex closed his mouth and hung his head in defeat.

"Fine," he said between gritted teeth, glaring at the floor. "I'll do it."

"Excellent, you will know when it is time for your assignment to begin. Remember that you are to tell no one of this conversation," he warned. They both nodded in the affirmative. "Good, now off to bed."

"I don't like this," Alex said as they walked down the corridor. "You shouldn't be doing this."

"Alex, I will be of age in May. It doesn't really matter if you like it or not, I'm doing this. I _need_ to do this," she said, her voice strained. "I can't just sit by while everyone I love puts their life in danger. I need to help too. If I don't, I don't know how I could live with myself if something ever happened to you, or Severus, or Harry, or Luna, or the Weasleys because I wasn't there to feed the Order information. If I can help defeat him, or at least keep people alive, I'll do it."

Alex studied his sister's pleading face, a mix of pain and sadness on his own. Finally he sighed and nodded his head in acceptance. She hugged him to show her thanks for his understanding before heading off to Ravenclaw Tower. With a pain she remembered Harry's promise from earlier, when he said he would keep her safe and never let Voldemort find her. She had felt safe when he had said that. She did not exactly feel unsafe now, just very guilty for making it impossible for Harry to keep his promise.

_It's to help him_," she thought. _Besides, he would do the same. Actually, he will be putting himself in danger to keep everyone safe. It was, unfortunately, his destiny._

This last thought pained her even more. This was the first time that she was really acknowledging that she could lose him. It physically hurt her to even think about him not coming out of this war alive.

_He will survive this,_ she told herself. _And I'll help him in any way that I can._


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 12**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

_I want to move past this, I'm trying to move past this. It's been three months since we lost the baby, since my father's murder. I've been depressed since it all happened, but all I've been upset about is the baby. I couldn't care less about my father. He abused and cheated on my mother. He made my home life miserable. I'm glad he's gone._

_ I need to talk to Tom. I need to tell him that I love him, that none of was his fault. We've both been so withdrawn that I think he thinks I'm upset with him. I'm also afraid of what he could be doing. Our house here in Albania is isolated, I've not seen anyone but Tom since we came here. He often leaves for periods of time, saying he's looking for something. What exactly that something is, he won't tell me. Nor will he tell me why he keeps his trunk locked. I don't like him keeping secrets. Bad things happened the last time he withdrew like this._

_ He came home late last night. I was cleaning the kitchen when I heard him. I went to greet him. He was in the living room, sitting on the couch, his head in his hands. He looked up when he heard me. I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped my lips: He looked horrible. He had bags under his eyes, which looked completely red. How had I missed this? When was the last time he had slept?_

_ I walked over and sat next to him, taking his hands in mine. I told him that I loved him, and that I did not blame for what had happened. And we could still have children if we wanted later on, but I wanted to focus on us for now. I wanted to focus on fixing our relationship. I apologized for being so withdrawn the last few months, that I had had trouble dealing with my emotions. He listened to everything I had to say without interruption. When I had finished my speech, he spoke._

_ "I want all those things as well. But I also want to make sure no one can hurt you like that again. I can't tell you what I've been doing, not yet at least. Just know that it's all to keep you safe," he said, squeezing my hands. Then he added in a whisper, "I can't lose you. I…I love you."_

_ We sat together for several minutes before I suggested that he get some sleep. He gave me a wicked grin—one that I had not seen in a long time—and quickly positioned us so that we were laying down on the couch, him hovering over me. He made love to me that night. For the first time in a long time, I felt safe and close to him again. However, something was different about him. I can't figure out what it could be though. Maybe it had something to do with us not being intimate for so long? I don't know, and I'm worried. He only hides things that may upset me. So what's he hiding now?_

Harry closed the notebook and sighed. It was weird to view Voldemort through a person's eyes that actually cared about him. It made him seem human, which seemed impossible to Harry given their past encounters. Voldemort had always viewed emotions, especially love, as a weakness. What had made Jacqueline Blake so different? That was the question no one had an answer to. He had kept her safe and tried to heal whatever illness she had. He had also given her children, despite not ever liking them (as Harry knew from the memories he had seen of a young Voldemort). Could he possibly not have recognized what he was really feeling? Dumbledore had said it could have been him wanting to possess her. But was there so much difference between love and possession? When you loved someone you did anything to keep them. Possession is a part of love. So…if he could care, if he could love, did that not make him human?

XXX

"Do you really think this will work? That they won't detect it?" Alex asked. It had been three weeks since Dumbledore had given them their assignment. They had been spending a lot of time in the library ever since, trying to work out a way to send messages to each other without being detected. It looked like Dani had figured out a way.

"Yes," she said confidently. "Only we will be able to send or read the messages in these notebooks. If I have any information, I'll write in mine. It will then appear in your notebook. Once you read it, it will disappear. They're not a threat because they look like just any ordinary notebook. In fact, if anyone else writes in them, they act like any other notebook. Nothing will be sent to the other. I really don't think they'd be paying that much attention, but I won't write in it when someone else is around."

Alex nodded his head in comprehension. While he did not like the idea of his sister living with their birth father or Death Eaters, he had to admit that she was the best for the job. She was not ruled by her emotions, which allowed her use her intelligence to think things out before she acted. She was also a skilled dueler and would do fine if she had to defend herself. However, being the protective older brother that he was, he could not help but worry.

"Now," she continued, ignoring his apprehension, "we need to find a place to hide you. But it needs to be a place from where you can easily contact those in the Order. What do you think?"

"Staying with a member of the Order would be easiest," he said. "I could ask Lupin or Kingsley. Staying with the Weasley's could be risky. They're already being watched by both sides."

"True. We should tell Dumbledore about the notebooks. Maybe he has a place in mind for you," she said, handing him one of the notebooks. "Don't lose that," she warned.

"I won't. Where are you off to?" he asked as they exited the library.

"My dormitory. I have some last-minute potions work to do before bed. Say hi to Harry for me? I haven't seen him in a couple days. I've been a bit obsessed with making this notebooks work."

Alex nodded and bid his sister goodnight at the stairs. He watched her for a minute before heading up to Gryffindor Tower. Her manner amazed him. She acted like what they were planning to do was nothing, just a normal task that they did everyday. He admired her calmness, but it also scared him. There was something in her manner that told him she was hiding something, though he could not imagine what. He was afraid she was planning something behind his back, that she would do something reckless once she was captured. He sighed, crawling into bed and hoping he was wrong.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 13**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

"Congratulations on winning the Quidditch Cup Mr. Potter," Dani said, not looking up from her work. "Shouldn't you be celebrating?"

"I did," he said as he walked over to her side. "But all I really did was put together a good. I didn't play, so I don't need to be there. What are you working on?"

"The Defense essay, I forgot all about. I'm almost done though," she said, pausing to look at him. "Are you upset that you didn't get to play?"

"I was," he said, bending down and placing one hand on the chair back and one on the table, effectively trapping her. "But now I see there could be some benefits from not playing."

"Such as?" she asked, her voice full of mock-innocence. He smirked before leaning in to kiss her. He smirked again, broader this time, at her moan of protest when he pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers, staring into her light-blue eyes. They were the lightest he had seen them in days. He had not seen her much over the last week—they were both swamped with schoolwork and tasks from Dumbledore—but when he had her eyes had been more of a night-sky blue.

"What?" she breathed, blushing slightly.

"You need some down time. Come with me," he commanded, holding out his hand to her. She hesitated a moment, giving him a curious look, before complying. She closed her book, threw it in her bag, and took his hand. He led them up to the seventh floor, and paused before an empty piece of wall. He closed his eyes in concentration. A few seconds later, a small wooden door appeared before them. He led them through the door and into a small room. The room was solely furnished with a couch. The wall opposite of them was made entirely of glass, allowing the light from the moon and stars to illuminate the room. Dani dropped her bag and turned a questioning eye on Harry.

"What exactly did you mean by down time?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms in front of her.

"Just that you needed to go somewhere quiet, somewhere we couldn't get caught by a professor or Filch," Harry said innocently.

"Caught?"

"Yeah, it's after hours," Harry said, now giving her a confused look. She smiled before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. She felt him wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer. She smiled into the kiss, thinking how much she was going to enjoy her down time.

"It's actually a good view," Dani said. It was sometime later. Dani was curled up next to Harry on the couch, looking out the giant window. "What made you think of it?"

"The night of Slughorn's party," he said, twirling her hair around one of his fingers, "when we first kissed. You looked like a goddess or something."

"Really?" she asked, turning to face him. He blushed as he nodded and ran his fingers through his already very messy hair. "Never would have figured you for a romantic."

"Or a gentleman apparently," he teased. Dani rolled her eyes and elbowed him playfully in the side.

"That was due to stories from Alex, and maybe one or two bad experiences with other boys."

"I'm offended at the misrepresentation of my sex," Harry said in mock-seriousness.

"I'm sorry," she fake-apologized. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Harry looked thoughtful before answering, "No, I think we're good."

She shifted herself so that she was sitting next to Harry. However, the cushion was not quite large enough for that, so Harry ended up wrapping an arm around her shoulder to help steady her. She bit her lip out of nervousness, searching his face for something. He kept eye contact with her, though unsure of what was coming.

"I know that we can't tell each other everything," she began timidly, " and that our futures are uncertain. But… I think I'm in love with you."

"Just think?" Harry asked, his own voice hoarse.

She smiled, "No, I know I do. Didn't want to scare you."

"You could never do that," he whispered, his lips brushing her lips as she spoke, "because I'm in love with you as well."

He kissed her lightly on the lips, a feeling of pure happiness coursing through both of them. For that moment—all thoughts of Voldemort and the war forgotten—both were perfectly content with life.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 14**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

"Hey, Dani! Wait up!"

Dani turned around to see Harry running toward her, earning a few curious glances as he did. When he reached her his cheeks were slightly red and his hair tousled from the exercise.

"I need you to stay close to Luna tonight, ok?" he said in a rush.

"What? Why?" she asked, giving him a confused look.

"Dumbledore's…. he's taking me somewhere, it deal's with getting rid of Voldemort so I can't tell you anything. But I need you to be near Luna or another member of the DA. I think Malfoy may try something, and I just don't want to leave anything to chance," he said quickly.

"Er…ok?"

"Thanks." He pecked her on the cheek before hurrying away. She watched him shoot down the nearest staircase, still bewildered by his behavior. _What exactly did he think was going to happen? Draco would have no way of knowing that Dumbledore was even gone, would he?_

XXX

"Dani! Dani wake up!" a soft voice called out to her.

Dani felt herself being shaken and reluctantly opened her eyes. She could just make out Luna's outline in the dim light from the fire. She pushed herself up as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes and stretched her neck, which was slightly sore from how she had been sleeping on the couch.

"What's going on?" she mumbled.

"I don't know. I just got a message that we need to meet the others. Now."

Dani nodded, grabbed her wand, and followed Luna out of the common room. As they climbed the stairs to the seventh floor, she started to get a tense feeling in her stomach. Despite being afraid of what could be wrong, she quickened her pace and reached the seventh floor landing minutes before Luna did. She saw Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny, and Alex standing a few yards from her. Once Luna had caught up, they hurried over to where the others stood.

"What's going on?" she asked, her voice breathy from running up the stairs.

"Not sure," Ron answered. "Draco went in there an hour ago and hasn't come back out. Harry was right. He's definitely up to something. When he went in he said something about 'this being the night he would show them all.' He's gone a bit mental if you ask me."

"So we're just waiting him to come back out? We can't get in?" she asked.

"No," Hermione said, the frustration from being outsmarted by a room evident in her voice. "We've tried all kinds of things, but he's found away to keep us from getting in."

"What could he be possibly be doing that he's so afraid of anyone finding out about it?" Ginny asked.

"Probably nothing good," Dani sighed, leaning against the wall opposite where the Room of Requirement's door should have been.

"But it's _Malfoy_," Ron said in disbelief. "He's not bright enough to do anything of any real harm, is he?"

"If Harry's right, then Draco's the one behind the cursed necklace and poisoned mead," Dani said. "And both of those caused plenty of damage."

"Both were meant for Dumbledore as well," Hermione added as she sat on the floor next to Dani.

Dani's stomach twisted into nervous knots as Hermione's words sunk in: Draco was trying to kill Dumbledore. But it could not be true! He was not a killer. He was a jerk and a stuck-up ass, but not a murderer. How could Draco do this? Why was he charged with this task?

The wall they were staring at exploded as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick rounded the corner. Chaos ensued as green and red lights shot through the cloud of debris.

XXX

"Dani! Behind you!"

Dani spun around and shot a jinx at a big, blond Death Eater that was running down the stairs from the Astronomy Tower. Her jinx narrowly missed him. He raised his wand to retaliate, but quickly aimed at Ginny when he saw who had shot at him. Dani deflected the spell before it reached Ginny and turned back to face the Death Eater, but he was gone. She saw several more people run down the stairs including Draco, Severus, and Bellatrix Lestrange. The latter was dancing around gleefully as she shot curses in every direction. Dani, who was the first to notice the crazy witch, began sending deflecting charms around her friends. Severus ran passed her, shaking his head to indicate she was not to follow. She was confused, but obeyed nonetheless. Seconds later, Harry came running down the same steps, shooting spells and chasing after Severus and the others. Harry looked upset and like he was in pain. She froze, debating with herself if she should follow after them or not. She was distracted just long enough to miss the spell that hit the ceiling above, which caused pieces of stone to fall around her. One of the larger pieces hit her on the head, knocking her unconscious.

XXX

Strained whispers and quiet sobs were the first things she heard when she regained consciousness. Her head was pounding and felt like it weighed a ton. Slowly, she opened her eyes. The bright light caused her head to ache even more, making her regret the decision instantly. She sat up, the movement catching Alex's eye.

"Careful, Dani," he said gently. He got up from his seat at the end of her bed and helped her to sit up. He leaned her against the metal headboard, making sure she was able to support herself.

"What happened?" she asked, looking around the room. Everyone was covered in dust and most had burns or cuts from curses. The Weasleys were crowded around a bed a few beds down from her, and Luna was unconscious in the bed across from here. It appeared that, at some point during the battle, half the Order had shown up.

"Draco helped some Death Eaters break into Hogwarts."

"Why? To prove they could?"

"We don't know."

He was speaking quietly so that only she could hear him. He was fidgety, nervous. His eyes kept darting over to the Weasleys, and he refused to meet her gaze. He was hiding something.

"Alex, what aren't you telling me?"

"It can wait until morning, you need your rest," he said.

"I'm fine. Where's Dad?" she asked, ignoring his suggestion. He stiffened and his eyes darkened instantly. "What is it?" she prompted, fearing him dead.

Alex was silent for several minutes. He wanted to delay telling her, did not want to upset her or send her into shock. But he knew that she would not rest until he told. He gave a defeated sigh.

"He left with the Death Eaters. He…he killed Dumbledore," he said, his voice breaking.

Dani felt as though the air had been knocked out of her. This was not possible. It was all a bad dream. Severus could never do that. He was one their side. He was her father. She trusted him. She did not want to believe, but the look on Alex's face and Severus' absence from the Hospital Wing told her it was.

She began taking raspy breaths as she struggled to remain calm. Alex helped her lie back down, stroking her and trying to calm her. But it was all in vain. The tears were falling freely and her breath was coming out in short, ragged gasps. She felt the bed sink as someone laid down next her, wrapping her in his arms.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered in her ear. "It'll be ok. We'll get through this."

She knew he did not believe what he was saying; he was just trying to make her feel better. She snuggled closer to him, unable to speak. He pulled her tighter to him and buried his face in her hair. Alex, feeling slightly uncomfortable, got up and disappeared from her sight. Dani did not know how long she and Harry remained in that position. Harry just held her as she cried. Gradually, she calmed down. Though, exhausted from crying, she fell asleep as soon she stopped.

XXX

Fearful parents pulled their children out of school by the dozen, causing classes and exams to be cancelled. Dani, Neville, and Luna were released three days after the attack. They were quickly swarmed for information by the remaining students for information, who had been badgering Harry and the others for days. However, they did not get any more information out of them than had already been officially released by McGonagall. Dani spent most of her time hiding in her room or in the back corners of the library. She had only spoken to Harry once since the Hospital Wing, and it had been a very short and strained conversation. Both were still grieving and felt angry and betrayed by the same person, but were unable voice these feelings to one another, afraid of causing the other more pain.

"You ready to go?" Alex asked. He had found her sitting in a window seat in the back of the library. She had been staring out the window, trying to rid herself of pain. She was failing miserably, which was worrisome. They were planning on starting their mission tomorrow. She needed to be calm, collected, and reserved, but she was a mess. There was no way she could keep up the charade in her current condition.

"I'm all packed, but…," she paused, debating one last time if it was a good idea or not. Deciding it was she said, "I need to talk to Harry. If we're sneaking out during the funeral tomorrow, I won't get a chance then. I need do this today. Do you know where he is?"

She spoke in a rush, forcing the words out before she could chicken out. Alex's expression was a mix between concern and pity. He did not think saying good-bye to _anyone_ was a good plan. He was worried someone—Hermione in particular—would guess their secret and try to stop them. He knew if Harry found out, he would do everything he could to stop him and Dani. They could not afford for that to happen.

"I don't know Dani…," he stalled, running his hand through his hair.

"You don't know where he is? Or you don't know if I can keep my mouth shut?" she demanded, her voice hard.

Alex gave a defeated sigh. "I'll go find him. You'll be here?"

"Of course," she said as she returned to looking out the window. She heard her brother sigh again before walking off. She listened to his footsteps fade before she went to trying to clear her mind. She had almost managed it when she heard hesitant footsteps thirty minutes later. She turned and saw a nervous looking Harry walking toward her. She offered a small, weak smile when he met her gaze, which he returned. She swung her legs around, so that she could hop off the window seat, but he stood front of her placed his hands on the window seat on either side of her, effectively putting them at eye-level.

"Hey," she whispered. "How are you?"

"I don't really know," he said, shrugging. "Confused, angry."

She nodded her head in understanding.

"Alex said you wanted to tell me something?"

"Yeah, um, we'll be leaving tomorrow during the funeral," she said, avoiding his gaze. "There's not an official record of us, and we're afraid of being found out with so many high up officials here. Not to mention, a Death Eater or two might try to sneak in to spy on the Order. We just think it's a good idea to leave when everyone's distracted."

"Where will you go?" Harry asked, his voice strained.

"No idea, maybe somewhere in Eastern Europe or America," she lied. The truth was they would go into hiding somewhere in England for a weeks, wait for the chaos to die down a bit, and then work on getting Dani captured. But she could not tell Harry that, he would never go along with it.

"Good, you'll be safe," Harry said, slightly relieved. Dani gave a reassuring smile and tried to ignore the guilt she felt for lying. She really was not cut out for this. How was she going to convince Voldemort of anything if she could not control her emotions?

"What about you?" she asked.

"Dumbledore left me a job to do, I'm going to do it," he said with conviction. Dani slid off the window seat and threw her arms around his neck. Harry wrapped his arms tightly around her and tucked her head under his chin.

"I'm going to miss you. Please be safe," she said into his chest.

"I'll do my best," he promised. "I love you."

"I love you too."

XXX

Dani said good-bye to Luna before she left for the funeral. As she looked around the empty dormitory, she felt the first pang of fear. This was her home. This was where her family had been. Now she was on her way to living with Death Eaters. Nothing could offer safety or familiarity there; she could not trust anyone. She grabbed her knapsack, which had magically been extended to hold all her possessions, and went to meet Alex outside the Great Hall.

She spotted her brother standing off to the side of the Hall. His face was pale and he had bags under his eyes. He obviously had not slept. She walked across the hall over to him. Everyone was so preoccupied with breakfast and the funeral that no one stopped to question why they had their bags with them. With bitterness, Dani realized this was probably the last times where no one would be watching her every move. It will be like living in a fish bowl where she was going.

"Ready?" he asked. She nodded and followed him outside. They made their way as quickly and covertly as they could across the expansive lawn. Again, Dani found herself grateful that everyone else was distracted. Once outside the gates, they turned around for one last look at the place that had served as their home for so long. After a minute, Alex took her hand and they spun on the spot, disappearing from the life they knew.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 15**

**AN: Sorry for the late update, but this almost didn't happen. I've been swamped with work and school these past few weeks. As a result, I've had little time to write and completely forgot (until now) that I needed to post the next chapter. It's very possible this may be the last weekly update. If I have some downtime, I'll do my best. But right now, I'm exhausted and don't have the energy. Anyways, enjoy this chapter and 16 is in the works. Fingers crossed inspiration strikes before next week!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

"Alex, what more do you want?" Dani demanded. She was extremely frustrated with her brother. She had agreed to hold off on starting their mission until the Wizarding world recovered from the shock of Dumbledore's death. It had not truly recovered. Their world was in chaos. People—both muggles and wizards—were constantly disappearing or being murdered. They had to act now. The Order needed them to.

"It's obvious the Death Eaters have infiltrated the ministry. What they're waiting for before launching a coup, I don't know. What I do know is that we are the only shot the Order has for finding out what that plan could be. We could blow this mission if we wait any longer."

"I know," he snapped, running his hand through his hair. "I know. I just…I just can't convince myself this a good plan."

"It's the best we've got," she deadpanned. In a softer tone she added, "He won't hurt me. I saw that during the battle. They're under orders not to harm us. If I'd been paying more attention, I probably would've escaped the battle with a few scratches."

"True," he said, smiling begrudgingly. "You were definitely one of the more talented duelers that night."

"It will be ok, promise."

"Tomorrow," he conceded. "We will do it tomorrow."

XXX

"Dani, I love you. Please be careful and don't do anything too stupid."

They were in a small, shadowy alley off of Diagon Alley. It was even more desolate than it had been on their last visit. The small number of shoppers kept their hoods up and looked at the ground as they half-ran through the street. There was a small group dressed in dark robs huddled across the street from where Dani and Alex stood hidden.

"I'll do my best," she said. Her heart was racing as she prepared herself for what she had to do. They knew the Death Eaters were looking for them. All Dani had to do was let them see her, and the Death Eaters would follow. She and Alex had been tracking the group in the corner for a couple of weeks and knew that they were part of the Death Eaters looking for them.

"Just walk down the street like nothing's wrong. Act like you're window shopping," Alex coached. "Don't retaliate when they come at you. I'll make sure all they do is capture you. That way—"

"That way they see you and can't report on my dueling abilities," she whispered. "I know."

"Alright," Alex said, taking a deep breath. "Ready?"

She nodded and took a deep breath. They quickly hugged good-bye, and Dani began walking down the street, her wand gripped firmly in her right wand at her side. She tried to give off an air of nonchalance, tried to act like she was not handing herself over to the enemy. She kept her eyes down so she would not make eye contact with any of them. Occasionally, she would look through the shop windows, all of which were dark and think with dust. As she neared, the Death Eaters' muttering grew clearer.

"Hey look."

"What?"

"It's her, isn't it? The one we're looking for."

"Maybe, it looks like her. But there's supposed to be a boy, and she's alone."

"Maybe they got separated."

"Perhaps. We should get her just in case."

"Let's go."

She pretended not to notice them walk toward and surround her. And managed to pull off a reasonably surprised and scared look. Though she did have to force the nervousness in her voice when she spoke.

"Wha-what are you doing?" she asked, backing against a storefront. Most of the men were only a few years older than her with the exception of one or two. They were all looking at her quizzically as if they were trying to find out what the Dark Lord wanted with her.

"It's her all right," an older one with long, messy blond hair said. "She was in the fight at Hogwarts a few weeks ago."

"You're sure? We don't want to take her there and be wrong," a younger ginger cautioned.

"Positive. Grab her."

The two young Death Eaters next to her grabbed her upper shoulders tightly. She felt someone yank her wand out of her hand. She fought their grip to make it convincing, but had to remind herself not to fight too hard. If she did, she would definitely break their holds, which would be exactly what she did not want to do.

"Hold still," the blond one said, holding his wand at her throat. She froze instantly, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to Alex. He would act if they cast any spells on her, which is what she did not want to happen. "You're not going to be hurt if you come with us. Unless," he said, pausing for emphasis, "you continue to fight us. Then we could be forced to use magic on you. And that would be very regrettable for all of us. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she hissed, glaring at her captors.

"Meet at Malfoy Manor. Make sure she doesn't escape," he warned, glaring meaningfully at the two holding her. She heard pops around her before being sucked into the black vacuum and then appearing in front of the Malfoy's.

It was weird to be back here. She had not been here in many years. At one time, it had been a favorite place to visit. Now, it was going to be her prison.

The Manor had changed. It was darker than it had been before. The house had a grey tint to it and the once-perfectly manicured yard and gardens were slightly over grown. There was an oppressive air to the place, though that could have been Dani projecting her own feelings onto the place.

She was marched through the front gates, up the gravel walkway, and into the Manor. They took a sharp left, which meant that they were heading for one of the larger sitting parlors or the dining hall. The normally fire lit passage ways were dark; the only light provided came from the scattered windows along the passageways.

Finally, they reached a doorway. They walked through it and into a room. But before she could see which room it was, the two captors holding her threw her to the ground. She yelped in pain as her hands and knees connected with the stone floor. She heard a thump next to her. She turned and saw her knapsack behind which were several pairs of feet. One pair was rushing toward her and helping her up.

"Danielle, what are you doing here?" Snape hissed in her ear. She wrenched herself out of his hold, fighting to keep her composure. His betrayal was still too fresh for her to appreciate his concern.

"Well, well, well," Bellatrix said in a mockingly sweet voice while twirling two wands in her hand. "Look who decided to stop by and pay us all a visit, the Dark Lord's daughter. But where his her big brother?"

"Bella, that's enough. All of you can go to the meeting room for now. He'll be here in an hour," Narcissa snapped at the Death Eaters who had brought Dani here. She quickly escorted them out and shut the door behind them. Then she walked over to as she walked over to Dani, inspecting her as she did.

"She needs food and a decent bath, but she seems healthy otherwise," Narcissa mused. "Now, sweetheart, where's your brother?"

"I don't know. We separated as soon as we left Hogwarts. We thought it would be better that way," she said, keeping her voice void of emotion. "I haven't heard from him since."

"And what about the Order? Do you have any information on them?" Bella asked as she too drew near. She was testing Dani. Testing to see if she was lying either by her words, actions, or thoughts. The latter of which were safe thanks her skills in occulmency. She just had to ensure her words or actions did not give her way.

"I don't know anything. They never allowed any of us who were still in school to be in the meetings. Nor did they ever speak of their plans in front of me or Alex."

"And what of Potter?" she asked.

"Again, I don't know anything," Dani said, keeping eye contact with the crazy witch.

"If you're telling the truth, why are you blocking me from your mind?" Bellatrix asked, grinning triumphantly.

"Because what I do know is none of your business," Dani said, feigning sweetness. Bellatrix's smile fell and became a terrifying glare. Dani did not flinch, knowing Bellatrix could not do a thing about her cheeky comment.

"Severus, Bella, why don't you to go on ahead. I'll show Dani to her bedroom," Narcissa urged gently, trying to diffuse the situation. Snape nodded stiffly and led Bella out of the room. "Come along, Danielle."

Dani grabbed her bag and followed Narcissa up two flights of stairs and down a long passage way. After about twenty minutes of walking, they reached her room. The room was one of the least Slytherin affiliated rooms in the Manor. The walls were a soft cream color. The large four-poster bed was made of a dark wood and adorned with deep purple bedding. There were no snakes adorning the furniture, walls, or windows. Instead, it was all flowers. The view from the window was that of the prettiest garden and lake on the estate. This had always been her room when she had visited over holidays. She momentarily forgot her unhappiness about being there now. That was, until Narcissa spoke.

"Please freshen up, I'll have Draco come fetch you in hour. I'm sure your father will want to see you," she said stiffly and avoiding looking at Dani directly. She went to close the door, but paused when Dani spoke.

"When can I have my wand?"

"I don't know," Narcissa said softly, looking at Dani with sad eyes. "But it will not help you escape. He's put many enchantments on this room. There's no way in or out but through this door, which I must keep locked when you are inside. Also, there is no way for you to communicate with the outside world. All your letters must go through me and the Floo network is being watched. I'm sorry to do this to you, I am. But I don't have a choice. The best you can do is to cooperate. Tell him whatever he wants to know. Especially, if you know where Alex is."

"I promise I don't know anything," Dani said coldly. Narcissa nodded sadly and closed the door behind her. Dani waited for the click of the lock and fading footsteps before throwing herself onto the bed.

After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, she decided a quick shower would not be so bad. She had not properly showered since they left Hogwarts. She could not deny how good the warm water would feel. It would also help her to clear her mind before she was presented to her father.

She took her time in the shower, enjoying the warm water and letting her mind conjure happy memories. Merlin knew she needed them right now. While drying off and getting dressed, she briefly wondered where Alex had gone. They had never discussed it, and Dani was not really sure he even had a place in mind. The shower had only killed about 10 minutes of her wait; and without her wand, she forced to let her hair air-dry. With nothing else to do but wait, she curled up on the bed and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep.

XXX

"Dani. Dani, wake up."

Dani grunted and reluctantly opened her eyes. Draco was standing over her, trying to shake her awake. He stopped and backed away when he saw she was awake. She looked past him to a clock on the wall and saw it had been close to two hours since she had fallen asleep, though it felt like no time had gone by at all to her.

"You're wanted downstairs," Draco said awkwardly. Dani pushed herself off the bed and walked out of the room, Draco following at her heels.

"You don't even know where to go," he snapped.

"Then lead the way," she said, pausing to let him walk in front of her. He gave her a distrusting look, which caused her to laugh. "Oh, honestly Draco, what can I do with my wand?"

He blushed from embarrassment and quickly led her to the dining hall downstairs, never speaking or looking at her again. Dani watched him as they walked. He was extremely pale and ill looking. It was if he had just thrown up or desperately wanted to. She could not imagine what would cause this reaction in him, unless it was simply the effect of Voldemort using his home as headquarters. Dani sensed what she had always known: Draco Malfoy was not and could never truly be a Death Eater. It was a small comfort though. Even with this knowledge, she would not be able to confide in him. Regardless of willingness or lack of to be a part of it, he was on the other side.

He led her to an older part of the Manor, one where she had not spent much time before. The passageway narrowed and grew colder as they walked. Paintings and tapestries ceased to cover the walls as well. She knew the dungeons were located in this part of the Manor, but was not sure what else was back here. The combination of cold and the bleak surroundings shook her resolve a bit. She could not help but feel nervous in the oppressive atmosphere.

Draco stopped in front of her without warning, causing her to collide into him. He shot her a nervous glance before opening the door and stepping aside, allowing her to enter first. She took a deep breath to steady herself and stepped inside.

The room was long, but narrow. Again, no decorations adorned the walls. Only Slytherin's crest hung above the fire place, which was the only source of light for the room as there were no windows or candle fixtures. There was a long, plain wooden table in the center of the room. About twenty or so people sat around it. There were also two large lumps on the table, but she could not make out what they were in the dim lighting. She was able to make out some of the faces as her eyes adjusted to the light. She saw Snape, Bellatrix, all three Malfoys, Fenrir Greyback, Rowle, Yaxely, Mulciber, Mcnair, the Carrows, Peter Pettigrew, and many more Death Eaters whom she had seen on wanted posters and at Hogwarts only a few weeks ago. At the head of the table sat a man with snake-like features and glowing red eyes, which were looking at her with curiosity. This man, if you could call him that, was Voldemort, her father.

"So nice of you to join us, my dear," he hissed. She could tell he was trying to make himself agreeable to her, but not even he could cover the coldness in his voice and demeanor. She remained silent, trying to ignore the other twenty people looking at her. _They__'__re__not__important,_ she told herself. _Focus__on__keeping__him__out,__and__it__will__be__fine.__I__hope,_ she added as an afterthought.

"For those of you who do not know, this is my daughter Danielle. Please, take a seat," he commanded, indicating to an empty seat in front of her. She remained silent and still, showing him she would not follow even the smallest of his demands. His reaction was instant, but only noticeable if you were looking closely: His eyes narrowed and he quickly clenched and unclenched his hands in frustration. Slowly, he stood up, causing a ripple of fear to run through his followers. Dani worked to keep her expression blank, despite the fear rising within her.

"Get out, all of you," he hissed quietly. There was a screeching of chairs as everyone hurried to follow his order. Dani was jostled a bit as they rushed out of the room. Snape and Narcissa paused to steady her. Narcissa was about to say something, but was stopped by Voldemort's next command.

"Severus, please take a seat. Narcissa, close the door behind you."

Both reluctantly followed his orders. The small amount of light from the door allowed Dani to see what was on the table: a giant snake eating a dead body. It took everything in Dani not to vomit at the sight. However, her revulsion did not go unnoticed.

"No, it is not a pretty sight," Voldemort said, grinning evilly as he walked toward her. "But examples must be made of those who try to defy me. Now, take a seat."

He pointed his wand at a chair, which promptly jumped back from the table. Dani remained standing, staring blankly at the wall in front of her. She took a deep breath and said, "I will not comply with anything you ask. Even the simple act of sitting at a table could be misconstrued to say that I agree with you. I don't want to confuse anyone of where my loyalties lie. "

"And where is that?" he asked, his tone dangerous. Dani watched as Snape's lips became thinner and thinner with each word she spoke. He was clenching his fists, trying to restrain himself from doing anything. He caught her looking and tried to send her a message, but she ignored it.

"With Harry Potter."

The chair exploded, and debris shot in a hundred directions. Dani stepped back quickly and shielded her face. She uncovered her face when she was sure there was no danger from any more debris. She saw that Voldemort had stopped a few feet away from her. She also saw that he was shaking with rage and Severus had gotten out of his chair was hesitantly approaching them. For the first time since entering the Manor, Dani felt truly afraid. She briefly wondered if she would have a fighting chance with her wand.

"If it's a fight you want," he muttered. "Severus, give her her wand."

Severus crossed the room until he was standing in front of her. He handed her the willow and dragon-heartstring wand with his back to Voldemort, shooting her a meaningful glare as he did. Dani felt a whoosh of air as Severus turned back to face his master, his face was impassive once again. Voldemort nodded his head toward the door. Severus took this as a cue to leave. However, he opened the door to find his path blocked by Bellatrix.

"You called me, Master?" she drawled, clearly excited just to be in his presence.

"My dear daughter is feeling a bit rebellious. Perhaps, you would help get it out of her system?"

"My pleasure," she said, sauntering into the room and closing the door with a flick of her wand. Severus remained by the door, worry showing on pale face. Dani tensed and went into a dueling stance as Bellatrix neared.

"Looks like someone knows how to play. But how well?" she taunted. Dani slowly backed away from her, holding her wand defensively in front of her as she ran down a list of potentially useful spells.

Suddenly a violent purple light shot from Bellatrix's wand. Her shield charm deflected it back at Bellatrix, who ducked just in time. There was a large dent in the stone wall where Bellatrix had been standing.

"Play nice, Bella," Voldemort warned. "We don't want her hurt."

He patronizing tone and the smug look on Bellatrix's face were just what Dani needed to attack. She shot a Flipendo jinx at Bellatrix, who was promptly thrown into the wall. She pushed herself off the ground, clearly upset about Dani getting the upper hand. They began dueling in earnest. Within minutes they had destroyed the room and both were red-faced and sweaty from their dueling.

"She really does know how to play!" Bellatrix shouted over the din of their spell casting. As she spoke, Dani shot another Flipendo jinx at her. But this time, Bellatrix saw it and reflected it back at Dani, who got the full force of it. The jinx caused her to trip over the remains of a broken chair. She landed on her back and her head connected with the ground. For the briefest of seconds, she could not move. Then she quickly rolled on her stomach, grabbed her wand, and stood up to face her opponent. Bellatrix, thinking she had won, had lowered her weapon and was turning to face Voldemort. Her distraction allowed Dani to send a well-aimed Stupefy curse at her. It was so strong that Bellatrix was knocked off her feet and thrown into a cabinet.

A high, cold chuckling interrupted Dani's brief feeling of triumph. She stood up straight, tightly clutching her wand, and faced Voldemort. He looked pleased, too pleased; while Severus looked extremely worried. What had she done?

"You are a fighter," Voldemort said approvingly. "Severus, you've taught her well. I didn't think she would be as I'm sure Dumbledore watched her training closely. But even with being watched, she was willing to attack when her opponent's back was turned. She was willing to do what she had to to survive."

"I'm sure that had more to do with her year on the run than with my training, My Lord," Severus said, his expression blank.

Dani understood what he was implying: Dumbledore and Harry would never have attacked when their opponent's back was turned. It was not fair or honorable. But Dani could not afford to be fair or honorable, not now. She had and always would do what was needed to survive, or, in this case, help the Order and Harry, at least until the war was over. Besides, the Death Eaters never fought fairly. Why should she when fighting them?

"I don't regret my actions, nor do I doubt their necessity or myself for doing them," she said firmly, looking him straight in the eye.

"Whatever you say, daughter," Voldemort said, still smug. "You did well, so you may keep your wand. However, if you make any attempts to escape or thwart my Death Eaters, it will be taken from her. Severus, please escort her back to her room. She will have all her meals there until I say otherwise."

Severus bowed his head in understanding and beckoned Dani to him. She walked over to him, warily eying Voldemort as she did. Severus opened the door, letting her go first. They walked back to her room in silence. Dani thought he was going to let her in and leave, but he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"I know you are angry with me, but you need to understand that I was only doing what was asked of me. I don't expect you to understand now, or to even trust me anytime soon. I just hope, one day, you'll forgive me." He spoke in a rush, his eyes pleading for her to understand. For a moment, she felt herself wanting to forgive him, to believe him. But then she quickly remembered that she could not afford those luxuries. Even if he turned out to be on their side, she could not tell him about her mission. The fewer people that knew, the more likely she and Alex were to succeed. She turned away from him, repressing her feelings.

"All right," he sighed. "Please be careful with whatever you're planning."

She heard him walk toward the door and open it. Quietly, she said, "I can't promise anything."

He paused and turned around for a minute. Dani gave a helpless shrug as looked at her sadly. He then turned back and left, closing the door behind him. Dani sighed and sat on the end of the bed, realizing she was not sure if she had been talking about Snape or mission.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 16**

**AN: So, I feel I need to explain the timeline (or the one I'm going with at least). Dani's capture took place in early July, three weeks after Dumbledore's death. (They were normally in school until June sometime, I think). It is now mid-August 1997. **

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

"Bloody hell!" Alex yelled, throwing the notebook against the wall. It had been a month since Dani's capture and she had yet to learn anything that would the Order. Alex was beginning to think the whole mission was a mistake and a waste. How was she supposed to learn anything if they kept her locked in a room all day?

"Something wrong?" Ginny asked softly as leaned against the doorway to Bill's old room. After Dani's capture, Alex had remained in hiding until he had decided it was safe to contact the Order—Kingsley and Moody to be precise. He had informed them of his and Dani's plan and they had helped him find places to stay. After Harry, Ron, and Hermione had disappeared and the Ministry had fallen, Kingsley and Mr. Weasley decided it would be better if Alex were close by. That way he would be on-hand if needed and could more easily pass information to them. Since the Weasley's had so many extra rooms, it was decided that Alex would stay with them. If he needed to go out and help the Order, he used a glamour charm to disguise himself.

"No idea," he said bitterly. "All I know is she's alive and doesn't know what day it is."

"At least you know that and can talk to her," Ginny said, sitting down on the bed next to him. "We have no idea where the other three even are, let alone if they're safe."

"I know," he said, lying down and covering his face with his hands. "It's just frustrating. I feel so useless."

"Welcome to my life," Ginny sighed. "Ever since Ron and them left, Mum's done everything in her power to keep me from leaving the house. If it wasn't law, I'm sure she wouldn't even let me go to school. Meanwhile, almost every member of my family is out risking their lives. I want to do something, I just don't know how or what."

"I guess no news is good news, right?" Alex asked after a few minutes of thoughtful silence.

"Yeah, it means they haven't been caught and the Death Eaters don't have any big plans," Ginny said. "I go back to school in two weeks."

"Oh?" Alex asked, turning his head to look at her. She was intently staring at her hands, which were folded in her lap. Her eyes showed the stress and worry that they had just been talking about.

"Yeah," she said, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face. Alex felt a weird pang in his stomach at her words. He worried about her going back to school. It was no longer the Hogwarts they had known. It was under Death Eater control now. Merlin only knew what they would do to the students. It was not safe to go back, especially for her.

"Well," he said, sitting back up. "That sucks."

"How's that?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"I'm trapped here just as much as you. It'll be pretty boring around here when you leave."

"Very true," she mumbled. An awkward silence settled over them, during which they both avoided looking at each other.

"Alex, do you—" Ginny started suddenly.

"What?" he asked, looking at her.

"Er…do you think Dani will be sent to Hogwarts?"

"Oh, um, hadn't thought about it. But, er, I don't know. I guess it's possible, but I doubt he'll risk it. She could easily escape if she ever needed to," he rambled.

"If she does show up, I'll keep an eye on her. If he lets her go, I'm sure she won't be able to really talk to any of us. Maybe this is how I can help," she said grimly. She stood up saying, "I should go help Mum with dinner."

Alex nodded and she got up and left. They had become good friends over the last year. Since they were both on the quidditch team and spent a lot of time together at practices, Ginny had learned that he was nothing like his father. She had started to trust him and confided in him about her worries and relationship issues, knowing he would not tell anyone or hold such feelings against her. But somewhere along the way, things had changed.

Alex had started seeing her as more than a friend. She was strong, funny, and brave. He even admired how stubborn she could be. He had grown jealous of Dean Thomas and began distancing himself from her because of it. Even when they had broken up, he was reluctant to express his feelings. There was the war, she was still in school for another two years, he was Voldemort's son, and, most importantly, he did not know if she felt the same.

At times, he was sure she did. In fact, he was sure she was about to say something just moments before. He was sure her original question had nothing to do with Dani. But what stopped her?

He sighed, getting off the bed and picking the notebook off the floor. He flipped through the pages, searching for any messages. There were none. He closed the notebook and set on the nightstand. Then he went downstairs to see if Mrs. Weasley needed help with dinner or any other house chores.

XXX

_**Two weeks later**_

_No, I won't be returning to Hogwarts. I'm not trusted "to behave in way that is appropriate with regards to my ancestry." Basically, they haven't brainwashed me and know I'll still socialize with muggleborns and blood traitors. I'll be "homeschooled" here, whatever that means. I can't believe tomorrow's September first. I feel like I've been here much longer. Any news on your end?_

Alex sighed as he began writing a response._ Nothing much. I'm going out with Kingsley tomorrow. There's a giant group of dementors up north causing issues with the muggle population. We're going to see if we can reduce the number of dementors in that area._

_ Be careful._

_ You too._

XXX

"All packed?" Ginny asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yeah," he said, closing his knapsack. "How about you?"

"I've been packed for days."

"Why?" Alex asked, looking at her curiously.

"Because I've had nothing else to do. And it was the best way to avoid Mum's hysterics. She's not handling things well at the moment," Ginny sighed. She entered the room and sat on the floor next to him. Alex noticed that she looked stressed, especially around her eyes. Mrs. Weasley had been very emotional for days now. Apparently, it was taking its toll on Ginny.

"What else can you expect from her? Her entire family is in danger."

"I know, but it's frustrating. She wants us all to go into hiding instead of fighting. I don't understand how she expects us to ever be safe again if we don't _do_ something now."

"Fighting's not the only way to help, and right now it's not even the best," Alex countered. "Right now we need to gather information and allies, and help those that are in the most danger from You-Know-Who."

"So which of those are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm not sure exactly; most likely looking for allies and helping both muggles and non-Purebloods. There are more experienced Order members working on gathering information," he added somewhat bitterly. He knew what he was going to do was necessary, but he could not help but feel like he was being sent to do busy work. He definitely shared Ginny's frustration of not being allowed to help more. After all they had experienced, which was often times more than the "adults," they were still treated like children. And he was of age!

"At least you're doing something, right?"

"True, but you can do the same at Hogwarts. You just have to be very careful about it so you don't get caught," he said, but instantly regretted it. Why did he just encourage her to put herself in danger? That was the exact opposite of what he wanted.

She smiled appreciatively, "I think you're one of the few people who, despite wanting to keep me safe, understands that I _need_ to help and is willing to let me."

"With the one provision you don't get caught or hurt," he added, returning her smile.

"That will be difficult, but I may be able to make it work. No promises, though" she smirked.

"I didn't expect any," he said, leaning closer to her. Her eyes met his, giving him silent approval. He closed the distance between them, giving her a light but lingering kiss. "But try for me anyway?"

"Only if you do the same," she whispered, her breath tickling his lips as she spoke. He kissed her again in response.

Alex and Ginny stayed together for several hours before Mrs. Weasley came looking for them. Thankfully, they were only when she entered the room, though they both looked a bit disheveled. She looked at them questioningly, but only asked Ginny to come check the laundry for any of her clothes. She got up and walked over to her mother, shooting Alex a secret smile when Mrs. Weasley was not looking. Alex bid them goodnight as Mrs. Weasley closed the door. He changed into pajamas and crawled into bed, using his wand to turn the lights off. He fell asleep content and confident: two things he had not felt in months.

**AN: I know it's short and boring, but it accomplished what I wanted for now. We will see more of Alex and his missions in later chapters, promise! However, I may be deviating even more from canon. Just a fair warning for anyone who doesn't like too deviation. I'm thinking it's necessary in order to Alex a bigger role. I promise to write whenever I can, just please be patient between updates. I have three weeks before fall break, so I may be able to get ahead then, but no guarantees. As always, I appreciate everyone reading and reviewing! :) **


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 17**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

Dani sat in the window seat of the office, staring out over the slowly dying lawn. Fall was fast approaching, but it had been so wet and dreary that everything was just turning brown. There would not be any pretty fall colors this year. She sighed wistfully at the thought. She could not remember the last time she had seen the sun, even from inside the Manor. It was perpetually gray here. She sighed again, thinking it would probably rain soon.

"Perhaps if you spent more time on your studies and less time moping about, you would not find your work so difficult," Voldemort snapped. He sat at the large oak desk, pouring over ancient texts. He had just returned from travelling abroad, looking for only Merlin knows what. Whenever he was "home," he insisted on supervising her studies. Often, he would slip in some dark magic books for her to read. Depending on her mood, she either skimmed them or ignored them completely. The latter was effective in annoying him and entertaining her. Today, however, he was in a particularly foul mood and it was best not to push her luck.

"I'm a month ahead in my studies. I think I devote plenty of time to them," she replied haughtily. Honestly, what else was she supposed to do? She was kept locked up in the Manor with nothing but her schoolwork to occupy her time. Well, she was now allowed to wander the Manor and eat meals with everyone else, from which she picked up tidbits of information. But more often than night, she was bored out of her mind. So far, the only thing she had told the Order was the route the Snatchers used to take muggleborns and half-bloods to Azkaban.

His fist clenched at her tone, but he otherwise ignored her. From where she sat, she could just make out the symbols on the page he was reading. They were not anything like what she was studying in Ancient Runes. She rolled her eyes in frustration, deciding silently expressing her feelings was better than audibly. He was still dealing with Harry's break-in to the Ministry and had returned from his travels empty handed. She smiled with pride remembering how her friends and been able to break into the Ministry, help innocent people escape, and avoid capture. But why they had broken in in the first place was beyond her. What was so important to risk capture? She figured it had to do with Dumbledore's mission for them. She hoped they were having more luck than she was.

A sudden knock on the door pulled her attention back to the room. She watched Voldemort say a spell and close the tome. Folding his hands in front of him, he said, "Enter."

In walked a very nervous looking Yaxley. He was one of the top Death Eaters running the Ministry. From what she had gathered, he had been the last one to see her friends before they escaped. His pale form shook violently as he stood before his master.

"You may go, Danielle," he commanded. "Close the door behind you."

She got off the window seat, leaving the book of dark magic, and left the room. High-pitched screaming started as soon as the door clicked. Dani cringed at the sound as she walked back to her room, unable to avoid feeling pity for the Death Eater.

XXX

Some hours later, Voldemort was once again pouring over the ancient tome. Slamming it closed in frustration, he slumped back against the chair. His thoughts drifted toward his daughter. She was like her mother, or at least what her mother had been like when they first met: stubborn, powerful, intelligent, and very beautiful. But she was also very different from her. Danielle was more determined than her mother had ever been. The hardships she had been through had not weakened her resolve as her mother's had. Instead, she was stronger because of them. She was willing to do what was needed in order to do what she thought was right, regardless of the risks. She would have been a valuable Death Eater.

Originally, he thought there was a chance to turn her. But now he knew better. Her pride and satisfaction over Potter's exploits had not gone unnoticed. Her loyalty was to Dumbledore and Potter, he was sure of that now. He had very little hope for her brother, who had been spotted protecting muggles along the country town from Death Eaters, dementors, and other creatures.

He sighed. It looked like their mother had won after all.

XXX

Dani threw herself to the ground, barely avoiding the purple jet of light. She shot a curse of her own before she hit the floor, hoping it would distract her opponent. She heard a shriek of anger and knew she had hit her mark. Dani was back on her feet in seconds. She turned to see Bellatrix struggling with the counter curse to the Jelly Legs jinx. Struggling because she was still sending poorly aimed curses at Dani, who was easily deflecting them with a shield charm. As Bellatrix finally removed the jinx, Dani shot a curse at her, knocking her on her back. When she sat up she was wearing a death glare on her face was bright red.

"That's enough," a cold voice commanded. Both women whipped their heads around to see the Dark Lord standing in the doorway. "Is this the first time she's bested you, Bella?"

"No, my Lord," Bellatrix said, hanging her head in shame. She looked and sounded very much like a child being scolded. Dani had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Bellatrix's head shot up as she joyfully added, "But she has yet to use an Unforgivable, my Lord."

It was Dani's turn to glare. They had been trying to trick her into using an Unforgivable for days now. They thought the constant dueling would take its toll and she should slip up and use one to defend herself. What they continued to undermine was her talent and resourcefulness in dueling. She had to be in a desperate enough situation to even be tempted into using one.

"Is that so?" he asked, his scarlet eyes resting on his daughter. She returned his stare with one of defiance. "Well, this is concerning," he continued, his voice dangerously low. "It appears my seventeen year old daughter is more talented than my most skilled Death Eaters."

"My Lord?" Bellatrix said in quivering and questioning tone.

"Bring up the prisoner."

Bellatrix nodded and ran out of the room grinning manically. Dani's eyed narrowed as she wondered what he was planning. He sat in a great armchair and watched her, an evil, satisfied look playing on his features. Bellatrix reentered the room, followed by two Death Eaters who were holding a limp, figure between them. They let the old man fall to the floor. He groaned at the pain, but did seem to be able to move. Dani gasped as she realized whom the man on the floor was: Mr. Ollivander. Why was he here? Why would Voldemort keep the old wandmaker prisoner?

"Bella, if you'll do the honors."

_"__Crucio!__"_

Mr. Ollivander began screaming as his body contorted from the pain. Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters laughed as they took turns torturing the old man. Dani found her spells blocked when she would send a shield charm to protect Ollivander or a jinx to distract the Death Eaters. Growing frustrated, she turned to Voldemort, who had been blocking her spells.

"Why are you doing this?"

"It's part of your training daughter," he taunted, looking and sounding smugger by the second.

"I'm not your daughter!" she hissed as Mr. Ollivander's screams grew louder. "STOP IT!"

"I'm afraid only you can do that."

Summoning her nerve, she cast her first Unforgivable.

"_IMPERIO!__"_

The spell was so strong that it affected all three Death Eaters. She had them drop their wands and walk over to the opposite side of the room. She then ran to Mr. Ollivander's side and began muttering healing charms. Distracted, she did not notice Voldemort release the Death Eaters from her curse. Mid-spell, she felt herself yanked away from Ollivander and forced to stand to before Voldemort, who was furious.

"You only said I had to use an Unforgivable. You never specified _which_ one it had to be," she spat. She doubled over in pain from the curse he shot at her. From the corner of her eye, she saw him get up and walk over to her. He bent down and whispered, "But you still used one, didn't you?"

Standing back up, he said, "Leave her and take the prisoner back to the cellar."

The Death Eater holding let her go. But, as she was still under the spell that was spending pain throughout her entire body, she fell to floor. Suddenly, she felt the pain recede from her body.

"You may have rest of the day off," Voldemort said.

After she heard the door close, she pushed herself into a sitting position. She wiped away the wetness that was beginning to form in her eyes. What had caused her tears—the pain of the spell or the pain of what she had done—she was not sure. She sat on the floor for quite some time, contemplating whether her action had been worth it. As her thoughts began to circle, she gave up this contemplation and got up off the floor. She went to her room and pulled out her notebook. She wanted to tell Alex what had happened, what she had done. She wanted him to tell her she had not done anything wrong. But she could not bring herself to write it. What if he was disappointed or angry with her? What if he was so upset he would not speak to her anymore? Too nervous over his possible reaction, she wrote: _I__think__I__'__m__starting__to__lose__myself__here.__He__keeps__trying__to__break__me,__and__he__'__s__getting__closer__each__day.__I__'__m__afraid__he__'__s__going__win._

The last bit was a lie. He was winning. He had had his first victory today.

XXX

Voldemort sat slumped in the grand chair in the study. If it had been anyone else he would have been glad of his minor accomplishment today. But it had not been anyone else. It had been his daughter. The look on her face after she cast the spell remained fresh in his mind hours later. It was a look of defeat. It was the same look her mother had worn after fights with Stevens and after her father had attacked her. It had been an unexpected blow to see that. His blood used to boil when Jackie had worn that expression. It bothered him greatly that he had caused their daughter to feel that way.

He sighed, opening the letter in front of hm. It was alerting him to another possible sighting of his son somewhere up north. That boy seemed to be in three parts of the country a day. The amount of energy he had amazed Voldemort. _Of__course,_ he mused, _he__was__energetic__infant._

_**Flashback**_

_ He heard the despised crying and rolled over, trying to tune it out. He felt Jackie quickly jump out of bed—quicker than he thought she was capable of—and tiptoe out of the room. The crying stopped within a few minutes of her leaving, but when she did not come back he got up to investigate. _

_ He found her in the nursery, attempting to coax their son back to sleep. He was stubbornly refusing and fidgeting in her arms._

_ "Alex, sweetheart, please. Mummy's very tired, and we don't want to wake Daddy. He gets cranky," she joked, untangling his fingers from her hair._

_ "Turning him against me already?"_

_ Jackie lifted her head and gave him a small smile. "Of course not, I'm only telling him the truth."_

_ His son had frozen momentarily upon hearing him speak to his mother. He studied him a minute before reaching his hands out to him. Tom raised an eyebrow as Jackie got up and brought him their son. While he was pleased to find that his own child did not annoy him like the children in the orphanage had, he was still hesitant about having anything to do with him. _

_Awkwardly, he took Alex from Jackie and gently bounced him up and down. Something, Tom had noticed, Alex seemed to enjoy. The boy started playing his face. Annoyed, Tom hissed, "stop" in Parseltongue, and was pleased to see Alex understood._

"_Tom!" Jackie scolded. "Stop teaching him that! You'll confuse him."_

"_You just don't want him talking to snakes," he taunted, setting his son in his crib._

"_You're right. I hate those things. It's bad enough you let that giant one roam the house. What if it hurts him?"_

"_Nagini's been ordered to stay away from you and Alex," he said, pulling his wife to him. "It's part of who he is, you can't change that."_

"_And I don't plan on it," she said firmly. "I just would prefer that he learn English first. I don't want him learning Parseltongue and speaking it around strangers. You know how prejudiced people can be."_

"_What I'm doing will insure that he doesn't have to worry about that," Tom whispered._

_She looked like she was about to say something, but did not. "Come on," she said, "let's go back to bed. He's asleep."_

_Tom followed her out, turning off the light and closing the door to the nursery as he did. She snuggled up next to him in bed. He draped an arm over her and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head._

"_I love you, Tom."_

"_I love you too."_

_**End**_

Voldemort sighed. He had not noticed anything wrong then. Sure, she had been tired. But they had an infant that was to be expected. However, she would have been pregnant with Danielle then. For the nth time he asked himself why she had kept her a secret from him.

_"__I__was__doing__what__I__thought__was__best,__" __her__echo__said.__ "__I__never__stopped__loving__you.__I__just__didn__'__t__agree__with__your__beliefs.__"_

_ "I know."_

XXX

"Hurry up, Alex!" Kingsley called from outside the tent.

"Just one minute!" he hollered back, quickly writing a response to his sister: _What__'__s__going__on?__What__is__he__doing__to__you?__I__can__'__t__write__long,__but__respond__to__me__immediately__with__details.__If__we__need__to__get__you__out__of__there,__we__will.__You__don__'__t__have__to__stay__there.__I__'__m__sure__we__can__get__out.__Stay__strong.__I__love__you._

Alex quickly stuffed the notebook in his bag and run out to meet Kingsley and other Order members.

"Where are we going today?" he asked.

"Into London. We're going to have to be as discreet as possible to avoid both muggle and Death Eater detection," Kingsley explained. "I've already sent a group to watch the Ministry. They'll alert us if our presence is discovered."

"What exactly will be doing?"

"Mostly getting rid of dementors, but also looking out for muggles. Meet here," he said, handing Alex a slip of paper, "if we get separated or you get into trouble."

"Got it," Alex said, pocketing the paper. Kingsley waved his wand and the tent collapsed and folded on its in own. After stowing it in his bag, Kingsley, Alex, and the other two Order members apparated to London.

**So…what do we think? This last bit is a transition for the next chapter. We'll see Alex on his mission, which may take me some time to write so, as always, I appreciate your patience! : )**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 18**

**AN: Fanfiction's being weird. Not sure why things in italics won't keep the spaces between the words. So, not using italics for a while. If any of you know why this is, please tell me!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

Alex walked down the crowded street, occasionally jostled by a careless pedestrian. The area he was assigned to was not experiencing any magical activity. No Death Eaters, no dementors, no noticeable curses, no anything. He was beginning to wonder if their reports had been wrong. He sighed, his thoughts drifting back to his sister.

Her short note had worried him. He could tell she was omitting information, something she rarely did. In fact, he could only remember her doing it a few times. The last was when….

He stopped, oblivious to being pushed and the scowls from passersby. He felt the blood drain from his face and his sweat as the realization settled over him. The last time she had been that afraid to tell him something was when the year they spent in hiding. It had happened when the werewolf had attacked her.

She was one her way home from work, alone. She had only meant to defend herself, but…something had gone wrong. After one of her spells, somehow, the werewolf changed back into a man. A dead man. Alex was already a worried mess when she finally made it home. He immediately knew something was wrong. She was too pale, too quiet, and too nervous. After hours of badgering her with questions, she relented. She told him everything that had happened. She cried. She had not said the killing curse, or anything else that would have forced him to change let alone die. She could not really explain what had happened. She said it had felt like her wand acted on its own, or through her emotions. Alex had taken her wand and checked her past spells, which confirmed her story. Through her spells, he saw she had transformed the man's body into a sapling. They had left the next morning, before anyone could notice the man was missing and start asking questions.

Still frozen in the middle of the sidewalk, he wondered what could have happened that was as bad as that. He knew she was forced to duel on a regular basis. He remembered her mentioning something about the Unforgivables…. Then it clicked. Voldemort had been trying to force her into using an Unforgivable. He could not believe she would ever be conned into using the Killing and Cruciatus curses, but the Imperius curse was another matter. Even if she was strongly opposed to manipulating or controlling someone's mind that did not mean she could not be coerced into using it; especially, if it was for self-defense or helping an innocent.

But why would this upset her so much?

Because it means Voldemort's getting to her, he thought. She won't join him, so he's going to try and make her doubt if she's good or not.

Alex clenched his teeth in anger. Something caught his eye, momentarily distracting him from his thoughts. He saw a wispy, floating figure turn down an alleyway. Loud whimpering followed its disappearance. Gripping his wand tightly, Alex hurried forward. When he rounded the corner, he saw three dementors towering over a middle-aged man. Summoning his happiest memory, he cast a Patronus charm, forcing the dementors to flee. He walked over to the man, who was still lying on the ground.

"Are you all right?" he asked, offering his hand. The man took it and stood up, tightening his grip as he did.

The man gave him an odd, calculating look before answering, "Yes."

Something was off. Alex tugged his hand out of the man's grip and took a few steps back, eying the man warily.

"So you're him?" the man muttered to himself. Making up his mind, Alex stunned the man and ran out of the alley.

He found himself constantly looking over his shoulder. He never saw anything odd. He paused in the entryway of an abandoned shop. Taking a moment and collecting himself, Alex surveyed his surroundings. He was on a busy street. The people walking by were not paying him any attention. It _seemed_ like everything was normal. But it was not; Alex's gut was telling him so. Something _was_ wrong.

Then he noticed them. A few figures stationed at every corner. At first they just looked like men waiting for a bus, but then he noticed they were all watching him. He knew he could not warn the others without exposing them and magic. He decided he would head to where there were not any Order members, and then apparate to their meeting place.

He took off at a quick pace, trying to act like he had not noticed the other wizards watching him. It worked for several minutes. However, he soon noticed there were hidden wizards on just about every corner. He could not out run them. _They__knew__we__'__d__be__here_, he thought. _This__was__a__trap._

Giving up the pretense, he sprinted forward. He could here the men behind up try to follow, but they were slowed by all the muggles. Alex realized he would be too, and began looking for a secluded spot to apparate from. He spotted a narrow alley a block away. He also saw a group of Death Eaters running toward him from that direction. Well, he had to try. He sprinted forward again, weaving his way through the muggle mass as agilely as possible. Within a minute he had turned down the alley. The last thing he saw as he turned to apparate was the group of Death Eaters red faced and out of breath. His laugh was lost as his body squeezed through the nothingness.

He landed facedown on the ground. He lay there a few minutes, catching his breath. As he lay there, he heard voices not far off. Deciding to see if they belonged to the Order, he rolled over and got up off the ground.

Alex walked over to voices as quietly as possible. Through the trees he saw Kingsley talking to Hestia Jones. He revealed himself to them, but kept his wand aloft. Upon seeing him, the other two raised their wands.

"Stop there," Kingsley demanded. When Alex had, Kingsley asked, "What caused the scar on your left calf? When did you get it?"

"From grindylow when I was living with my mother's friend in the country," Alex said. "Where were on November 2, 1981?"

"Taking convicted Death Eaters to Azakaban."

They all lowered their wands, relief showing in their faces.

"It was a trap," Alex said.

"We figured, but how did they know?" Jones asked.

"Simple, they knew we would come to help the muggles," Alex said. "Did Klaus make it back?"

"No," Jones said. "He was captured."

"What's the plan now?" Alex asked. He felt bad Klaus had been caught. He was a great asset to the Order, but they could not afford to lament their loss. They had work to do.

"Stay low for a few days, hope they lose interest," Kingsley said.

"I want to free my sister."

The minutes ticked by. They both went from looking stunned and confused to sympathetic. It was clear they thought he was crazy.

"Alex, you don't even know where she is," Jones began.

"Yes, I do," he countered. "She's at the Malfoy Manor. All we need to do is wait until You-Know-Who is out of the country. It won't be that difficult to break in once he's gone."

"And why is that?"

"Because they'll let me in without a second thought. They're still after me."

"So what?" Kingsley asked, his tone disapproving. "You just walk in there, get her, and walk out? I doubt it will be so easy."

"It won't. You two would have to present yourselves as snatchers," Alex explained. "I would go in as a prisoner."

Kingsley sighed. He could see Alex was set on getting his sister out of there. He could not blame him, but it would be very dangerous.

"Let's talk about this later. For now, we should rest," Kingsley said, keeping his voice level. "As you said, your father is still there, so we would not be able to act immediately. Let's rest for now and discuss your plan tomorrow."

"Fine," Alex said, realizing Kingsley was right. They would never make it out alive if they went now. He followed the others into the tent, where they ate quiet meal. They stayed there for rest of the day, switching off on watch shifts. No one said much. Alex went to bed after their dinner. He would take over the watch at midnight and wanted to be well rested.

Please be strong Dani, he thought. I can't lose you too.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 19**

**HAPPY THANKSGIVING!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

Something warm and furry kept pushing against her cheek. She tried to scoot away from it, but it kept coming back. Groaning, she opened her eyes to see a calico cat staring at her with big green eyes. She sighed and reached out to pet him.

"Sorry Rascal," she said. "I'm not used to you being here."

Severus had arrived a few days ago for the holidays. He found Rascal roaming the castle and had brought him to her, hoping it would cheer her up. It had…for about a minute. Then she found out about the other "guest" from Hogwarts: Luna Lovegood.

Apparently, they were holding her prisoner until her father stopped printing pro-Harry Potter articles. She was amazed and appalled by their actions: They were so afraid of _one_ anti-Death Eater publication they resorted to kidnapping! She wished she could say it was unbelievable, but in her brief time here she had seen worse.

She sighed and tried to sit up, but her body was so sore she could not. _Travel __and __torture __will __do __that_, she thought.

A week ago, Voldemort had appeared in her room and told her to back a bag, leave her wand, and be ready in an hour. She was never told where they were going, or why they mostly travelled on foot. She knew she did not have a choice, or even the energy to put up a good fight, and went without much of fuss; though she did complain about being hungry, bored, or tired every chance she got.

They apparated to their first stop, which turned out to be an old, decaying manor. She could tell it had been nice and well kept at one point. Perhaps, recently even: The yard and gardens were not as in much disrepair as the house. He made her wait outside under the watchful eyes of Nagini. She circled the house while she waited. From the back of the house, she could see a graveyard, calling to mind the story of Voldemort's rebirth. But why would come back to the Riddle house now?

He came out of the house as the sun was setting. She was about to ask what they were doing here, but when he motioned for her to follow she felt a tug from around her wrist that forced her to do so. Distracted by her anger from the spell, she forgot about the question and being a nuisance on their long walk. She watched the snake as they walked, careful not to trip over its long body. Dani hated that thing. It was so…creepy. She found herself grateful Alex had not taken an affinity to snakes.

After two hours of walking, the ground began sloping downward. He had to slow his pace so they could get down without falling. A few minutes later, they arrived at a large estate on the edge of the neighboring town. It was quite impressive. It had probably been beautiful at one point, but it, like the Riddle house, had fallen into disrepair. Once they were inside, Voldemort waved his wand, cutting the invisible rope between them.

"You may explore the house, but stay inside," he ordered. "Nagini will be watching you."

Dani glared at his retreating figure before making her way upstairs, the slithering menace at her heels. She wandered down the hallway for several minutes, stopping before the only closed door. Curious, she tested the handle. Finding it unlocked, she pushed open the door and entered the room. She figured she was the first person to do so in a long time. The layers of dust had not been disturbed in years, decades even. Every footstep created a cloud, which she was careful not to breathe in. She paused in the middle of the room and took in her surroundings.

If not the dust, the room would have been very nice. The walls probably needed a fresh coat of their light blue paint, but the white furniture in the room was in good condition. Dani decided this must have been a girl's bedroom at one point. Treading as lightly as possible, she walked over to the nightstand and picked up the small photo album.

Yes, this room had belonged to a girl. The numerous pictures of her in the room proved that. Most of them were the girl with an elderly woman, who Dani assumed was her grandmother. A few were family portraits, but it was the later photos that caught her attention. As the girl grew up, she began to look familiar. She looked like her….like her mother. So, this place must be where her mother had grown up. But why would he bring her here? She kept flipping through the album, but became transfixed by the last two pictures. Both were taken from afar, the boy and girl in them probably had no idea they were being photographed. They were happy, laughing. They seemed lost in their own world. It was her mother with…a boy that looked like Alex, but his hair was too dark….No, it could not be, could it? Yes, Ginny and Harry had said they looked alike. But Voldemort actually resembling a human? A _normal_ human at that? This could not be possible, but….there was not another explanation.

She sunk to the floor, frozen in shock. Was this why he had brought her here? Was he trying to bond or something? She heard him walking down the hall and wanted nothing more than to be a million miles away from him.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, standing in the doorway.

She sat there, trying to find her voice, which seemed to have disappeared.

"Danielle?" he said, his tone taking on an edge.

"How the _hell_ did you go from that to this?" she snapped, gesturing between him and the photo. "What possessed you to do this? Why did you even bring me here?"

She had lost control and was crying now. She was so lost, she did not notice him raise his wand or mutter the spell that knocked her out. The next thing she knew, she was back in her room in the Malfoy Manor. She had not seen or broken to him since, nor did she want to. She had stayed in her room until yesterday, when she had tried to break Luna out of the cellar. It was a poor attempt, but standing by and doing nothing was driving her crazy. It made her feel just a bit better knowing she had tried to do something. She had spent all last night trying to come up with another plan, but had been too exhausted after being "disciplined" under the Cruciatus Curse. Bellatrix had been at it at least twenty minutes before Severus had forced her stop. She was, no doubt, getting revenge from being bettered in all her dueling lessons.

"Oh Rascal," she sighed. "What am I going to do?"

"You're going to eat your dinner and go back to sleep."

Dani's eyes shot to the doorway, where she saw Severus standing with a tray of food. He her a small smile as he crossed the room and set the tray down beside her.

"Hey Dad," she said as he helped her sit up.

"Does that mean you're no longer mad at me?" he asked, sitting down on the bed next to her and handing her the tray.

"Yes," she said, smiling sheepishly. "I finally remembered something Dumbledore told me. I think I understand why what happened happened."

"I never meant to hurt you," he whispered, leaning down kissing her forehead. "Now, eat up and get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Dad."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

XXX

All he had meant to do was get her out of the house. She had become listless in recent weeks. He thought getting her out of the house would help. He did not even know those photos existed. Even if he had, he could not have predicted her reaction to them. She had been so angry, so upset. Why he still was not sure. Then she had gone and tried to break her friend it out and been caught. The action had been too reckless. She never would have done something so rash when she first got here. Clearly, the trip had done more harm than good.

He just could not do right by this girl, could he?

XXX

Dani sat on the window bench, drinking hot chocolate and watching the snowfall. No one had bothered her all day. Occasionally, Severus brought her food, but did not stay too long. It was the most peaceful she had felt in forever. She heard a 'thunk' and turned to see Rascal knocking a heavy book onto the floor.

"Careful baby," she said. He looked at her before jumping onto the nightstand, knocking her notebook off it, onto the floor, and then next to her on the bench. She rolled her eyes at the cat, which was giving her a smug look.

"Be that way then," she said. He hopped back off the window seat and onto the notebook, where he meowed until she looked down at him. Noticing some writing, she got up and picked up the notebook.

_Dani, _

_I'm coming to get you. Be ready to go at a moment's notice. _

_Love,_

_Alex_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 20**

**AN: So very, very, VERY sorry I have not updated recently. And sorry for how short this chapter is. It's finals time at school and things have been crazy! Hopefully, I'll have a bit more time to write this week. Only one exam to go! As always: read, enjoy, review.**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

_He'll be gone in three days._

_You're sure?_

_Yes. He's very angry. Has been since Christmas Eve when Harry escaped._

_And the extra security enchantments will be down?_

_Yes. They're only up when he's here. The Death Eaters know everyone is too afraid of to try anything._

_Not everyone. See you in three days._

XXX

"Come 'ere, Rascal. Come on out from under there," Dani coaxed. "You'll just be in there for a little while."

The cat glared at her from under the bed. She had been trying to get him to come out for an hour. Alex was going to be there soon. She had to be ready and could not lose any more time dealing her stubborn cat.

"Fine, be that way," she snapped. "Maybe we'll meet again one day. Have fun living with the Malfoy's. I'll miss you."

She scooted away from the bed and went back to packing her bag. Reluctantly and glaring, Rascal crawled out from under the bed and walked over to her.

"That's what I thought," she said smugly. "I'm all done. Jump in and watch out for books!"

After closing the bag, she grabbed her wand and quietly made her way through the Manor. The timing could not have been better. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were the only ones in the house. Draco and Severus were back at Hogwarts and all the other Death Eaters were out on various "jobs." She just hoped the defenses were low enough to get Luna and Mr. Ollivander out as well. Dani had told Alex to meet her at the back entrance, which was where she had been brought several months ago. It was out of the way enough that no one would hear her let them in.

There was a quiet knock on the door, causing Dani to sprint the last few yards to answer it. Upon opening it, she threw her arms around her brother in relief.

"You made it," she said, hugging him tightly.

"Yes," he said, smiling a little and hugging her back. "We have to hurry. The counter spell to the anti-apparition charm won't last long. The charm has been in place too long. It's too strong."

"Ok. Follow me."

She lead them all back to the cellar, going as quickly and cautiously as possible. Kingsley followed Alex and two Order members, who Dani did not know, brought up the rear. After ten minutes, they had reached the cellar. The two unknown wizards stood guard while Alex and Kingsley inspected the prison.

"Wow, they really don't take security serious, do they?" Alex said.

"Only when he's here. This cellar is the only exception. I haven't been able to identify which protection enchantments it has," Dani said.

"Dani? Alex? Is that you?" Luna said, her wide blue eyes visible through the small window in the door.

"Yes. Stay away from the door, we're going to get you out," Dani said, looking over her shoulder to make sure the Malfoys had not appeared.

"All right. Careful not to get caught this time though," she warned.

"What?" Alex said, spinning around to face.

"Later," Dani said, dismissing his concern. "We need to get them out. Now."

"Ok you two," Kingsley said, pointing his wand at the cellar door, "follow my lead."

They both raised their wands and repeated the incantation Kingsley was saying. They said the incantation for several minutes. The door began glowing a bright white-red. Dani thought it was going to work. Then the spell rebounded, blinding them and knocking them off their feet. It also threw the furniture into the wall, causing a big crashing sound. When Dani regained her sight, she saw Death Eaters apparating all around her and casting spells in every direction.

"Get your sister and get out!" Kingsley called. Dani felt a tight grip on her arm and was pulled to her feet.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Alex shouted over the din.

"We can't leave them!" she shouted back, fighting his grip.

"We don't have a choice!"

Alex wrapped both arms around her to stop her from struggling and spun on the spot. After the uncomfortable feeling of being sucked into a vacuum, they landed on a forest floor. Dani roughly pushed her brother away from her. She was furious. They were supposed to get Luna and Mr. Ollivander out! Merlin only knew what would happen to them now!

"How could you do that? You just left them there!" she shouted at her brother. She tried to get up, but every time she did a pain shot through her right side.

"There was nothing we could do. They would have killed those helping me and kept us both there," Alex said, trying to keep his voice calm. "Besides, if they're that protected, they're not in any immediate danger."

"But your sister is," Kingsley said, stepping between them. "Especially, if we don't stop that bleeding."

For the first time, the siblings looked away from each other. Debris from the backfiring of the spell had lodged itself in her left side and leg. The amount of blood was surreal. Dani, who had only felt a bit of pain while fighting with Alex, now felt the full blast of the pain, which, coupled with the loss of blood, made her very lightheaded.

Alex rushed to her side, removing her backpack and then talking to her. She was vaguely aware of Kingsley healing her wounds as she closed her eyes.

XXX

"She's a mess," Alex said.

He and Kingsley were keeping watch while the others slept. Alex kept glancing at his sister to make sure she was still there. He felt a pang of guilt every time he did. He had not noticed it at the Manor, but she was not in good shape. She just looked ill: her skin was too pale, her body too thin; there were bags under eyes…. She was a mess. And it was his fault. Clearly being at the Manor had been a much bigger strain on her than she had let on. He never should have agreed to let her go.

"She's alive," Kingsley said gently. "You can't really ask for more than that."

"We won't be able to go back, will we?"

"No, their defenses will be up all the time now."

They sat there thinking for several minutes before either of them spoke again.

"I had a thought," Kingsley said.

"About?"

"About making this site a temporary base."

Alex raised his eyebrows questioningly. Their best chances of not being caught were moving constantly. Staying in one place for too long was risky.

"Your sister will need time to recover," Kingsley explained. "She is no condition to move right now and won't be for a few weeks. Even after that, she may not be up to fighting right away. She's been through a lot."

"What about the risks?" Alex asked, glancing at his sister again.

"They won't come looking for us here. They never think to check the depths of the Forbidden Forest. It's too out of the way," Kingsley said, pausing a moment. "What do you think?"

"I think it's the best plan there is to get her physically health again."

"I'll tell the others in the morning. You need to get some sleep."

Recognizing a dismissal, Alex left the table and went to lie in his makeshift bed on the floor. He sighed. He might be able to get Dani back to physical health, but what about her mental health? He was sure she had issues to work through. But how bad were they? Would he even be able her work through them?

She started thrashing in her sleep for the third time that night. Alex sat up and stroked her hair, which seemed calm her for the moment.

"It's ok, baby girl," he whispered. "You're safe now."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 21**

**AN: Sorry for the lack of updates. Again, there were finals and work and a lot of travelling. So, here's something to hold you all over until I get some better stuff done. Our time on the run is coming to end, btw. Merry Christmas a few days early!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

_SNAP!_

Alex spun around, wand raised, to face the source of the noise. He lowered his wand and let out an aggravated huff once he saw it was just Dani.

"You need to be more careful," he snapped.

"Sorry," she said, walking toward him. "I won't bring you lunch again."

Alex took the food with an apologetic look. He had basically been on watch duty for the last few weeks and had not slept much.

"You know, I could take over for a bit. I'm in much better shape than I was."

It was true. She looked much better, healthier. But she was still having nightmares; it showed in the shadows around her eyes and the darkness of them. He could not deny it would be nice to get more sleep.

"Maybe I'll switch with you in a bit," he said between bites of his sandwich.

"You're bored here, aren't you?" Dani asked, sitting next to him on the fallen log.

"Sometimes, but there's not much I can do now. It'll only hurt the Order if one of us is seen with them. Better we stay here and man the base."

Dani laid her head on Alex's shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"I hope Potter's having better luck," he said.

"Me too," Dani said.

XXX

_**A few months later**_

The peace and calm at Shell Cottage were eerie. It was so isolated it was like there was not even a war going on. Harry took a deep breath of the salty air. It was early, the sun was barely up and the air coming off the water was freezing. But it felt good to move and be out and not confined in the small cottage. He paused at a cliff and looked out over the tumultuous, inky blue water. The deafening roar of the waves against the rocks blocked out the soft footsteps walking toward Harry. He jumped when he saw Luna standing to him.

"Sorry," she said. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, in a way. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. A little food and warmth will do wonders," she said, her tone as light and dreamy as always. A few minutes passed before either of them spoke again. "She was there, you know."

"What?" Harry asked, turning to look at Luna with a confused expression.

"Dani was at the Manor," she said. "Alex and some of the Order came and got her a little after Christmas. They tried to get us out, but the protection enchantments were too strong. Dani tried once before, but they caught and tortured her. How did we manage to get out?"

"Elf magic," Harry said through slightly clenched teeth. "They didn't account for other kinds of magic. How… how was she?"

"I really couldn't tell. At the end, she looked a lot like Malfoy did last school year. Kind of sick, you know? I'm sure she's ok though," Luna reassured. "She has Alex to help her get better."

All this time he had thought she was safe. How had she even ended up there? What had she been doing? Harry angrily kicked a pile of pebbles over the cliff and turned around to go back inside.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 22**

**AN: Happy New Year's! Hope everyone has had a good holiday season. Here's the final battle scene(s). I did my best, but am not overly thrilled with it. But I hope you find it somewhat enjoyable. This is NOT the last update for this story. I think I have at least one or two more after this.**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

Dani sighed as she stirred the fire. Guard duty was as boring as hell. How Alex had stood it so long, she would never know. She was glad she had finally convinced him to sleep and let her take over for him. He was in desperate need of some sleep. Being left alone with her thoughts was not any fun. She just worried or overanalyzed things. She wished she had Rascal to distract her, but they had sent him to the Weasleys' when they first arrived: It would have been a dead give-away if someone had seen a housecat in the middle of nowhere.

A small _pop_ made her look to the right, where she saw Kingsley and Lupin standing a few feet away. They looked tense, worried.

"What's going on?" she asked, standing up and walking over toward them.

"It's time. Harry's arrived at Hogwarts," Lupin said.

"This is it, then?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Yes, we need to hurry," Kingsley said, his voice urgent. Dani nodded and went to wake Alex, using a charm to put out the fire as she walked.

"Alex," she called, entering the tent. He shot up out of the bed and looked around the room with a confused expression.

"What is it? What's going on?" he asked groggily.

"We're going to Hogwarts. It's time," she said. "Hurry and help me pack all this."

He nodded and sleepily and slipped on a sweatshirt and shoes. They walked out of the tent and each raised their wands as they had it collapse and fold itself. Alex magicked it into his knapsack. Simultaneously, they turned to face Lupin and Kingsley.

"Ready," Dani said.

"You'll side-along apparate with us. Our landing has to be precise," Kingsley instructed. They nodded. Dani taking Lupin's hand and Alex took Kingsley's upper arm. The forest swam before them as they disapparated, and a pub reappeared when they landed.

"Where are we?" Dani asked, looking around at the dimly lit, but still visibly dusty, bar.

"The Hog's Head," Lupin said. "Hurry, upstairs."

They all followed Kingsley up the narrow, creaky staircase and entered a room at the top of it. A man, who could have been Dumbledore's twin, stood in the center of the room looking at a door in the middle of the opposite wall.

"More of you, eh?" the man asked. "Go on through, then."

They all walked through the door, which led to some sort of tunnel. They followed it for several minutes before it began to slope upward. It was several more minutes before they saw a bit of light in front of them. Finally, they entered a very large room that was buzzing with activity.

"Dani! Alex!"

They found themselves in a tight and unbalanced hug from Ginny Weasley. Dani hugged her back, but quickly pulled herself out of the hug. She noticed Alex kiss Ginny on the cheek as she did. He briefly caught Dani's eye and blushed. Dani did not say anything, but fought to restrain a smirk.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I'm not really sure," Ginny said, a faint blush visible on her cheeks. "We just got here, but I think everyone went to the Great Hall."

Dani nodded and made to leave, but found herself pulled back by her brother.

"What are the chances of me getting you to stay in here?" he asked, his eyes pleading.

"Nonexistent," she said, gently pulling her wrist from his grip. "See you downstairs."

She quickly left the room before her brother could try to stop her again. On her way down, she passed a large group of students. Upon closer inspection, she realized they were all the underage students. Except for the last chunk, which seemed to be every Slytherin. _Filch and Slughorn must be taking them to safety_, she thought. Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd for the familiar head of platinum, but found that Draco was absent from the crowd. Frowning, she continued making her way to the Great Hall. She stopped as soon as she reached the ground floor, searching for the person who was calling her name.

"Dani!" Luna called, pushing her way through the crowd.

"Luna!" she cried, rushing forward on giving her friend a tight hug. "You're ok! How did you get out?"

"It's a long story, but it's all due to Harry and Dobby," she said airily. "C'mon, we're going to the common room."

"Why?" she asked as Luna led them up the stairs.

"Because we were told to defend Ravenclaw tower. But I think it would be better to be station on the main floor instead of in the tower, don't you?"

"Yes, it would be to easy for them to trap us in the tower," Dani said thoughtfully. "Do you think the others will have realized this?"

"I don't see why they wouldn't have."

They pushed through and bounced off students, teachers and Order members as they fought their way upstairs. Spells that were being shot through the windows at random sent glass flying everywhere. They ran up the last few flights shielding their eyes from it. When they finally reached the fifth floor, they were pleased to see their fellow students lined along the windows. There were a few students in the tower, but they had managed to magically prop the door open. They took their places next to their classmates and began defending Hogwarts.

XXX

Screams broke out as the castle shook violently. Dani lost her balance and backward on something soft. As soon as she could, she jumped up and turned her wand on whomever she had fallen on.

"Harry!" She lowered her wand and helped him up. He was a mess, covered in dirt, dust and blood. His hair was longer and wilder than usual, and, even through all the grime, she could make out the signs of stubble on his face.

"What are you doing here?" he said, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Same as you," she shouted over the din. She looked around her: dust and debris were falling everywhere while wizards on both sides dodged spells and the debris. Luna and Neville were nowhere in sight, but she could vaguely make out Ron and Hermione running toward them. Dani saw a Death Eater emerge from a pile of rubble and sent a stunning spell at him, which knocked him back into the rubble.

"Don't you have something to be doing?" she said, turning back toward him.

"Yeah, but—"

"Then go!" she said, noticing another group of Death Eaters coming down the stairs. "I'll be fine."

He took a step closer to her and kissed her roughly. When he pulled away, Ron and Hermione were within a few feet of them and the Death Eaters were almost to the bottom of the staircase.

"Go!" she shouted, pushing him in the direction of Ron and Hermione. Reluctantly, he went with them, looking over his shoulder to see her cast a powerful shield charm that sent the Death Eaters flying backward.

XXX

"Danielle, heal the minor injuries and wrap the ones you can't," Madam Pomfrey said as she handed Dani some bandages and gauze. "I'll double check your work as soon as I'm done here."

Dani walked to the area where those with minor injuries were being kept. She mended several broken and fractured bones as well as healed some shallow cuts. There were a few cuts she could not heal completely and had to wrap until Madam Pomfrey could come through. However, she was able to get the bleeding to lessen for most of them. She reported back to Madam Pomfrey when she had finished.

"Thank you, dear. I'll go see to them now," Madam Pomfrey said, straightening up after healing a patient with a particularly nasty cut that had been oozing green puss just moments before. "Everything's under control here. Why don't you go find your brother?"

Dani nodded stiffly and began to make her way across the Hall. Fear filled her body and she felt stomach tense and twist. She tried not to look at the bodies, afraid of whom she might recognize. But she could not avoid looking lest she trip over an extremity as she maneuvered around grieving families. She felt her stomach constrict and a lump form in her throat as she recognized classmates, some of whom she knew to have been underage. She took deep breaths to try to calm her fears, but it did no good. Finally, she saw a familiar group of people. She froze in place several feet away when she realized they were gathered around a body. Even from her place she could see the Weasleys and Hermione were grieving over Fred's lifeless body. Unable to breathe, she looked away only to see Lupin and Tonk's forms lying next to them. She wrapped her arms around herself as if she was trying to hold herself together. Alex, who was standing just a few feet from the Weasleys, saw his sister and rushed over to her.

"Thank Merlin," he said, pulling her into a comforting hug. She buried her face into his chest as a few tears leaked down her cheeks.

"Is-is Dad…?" she choked out.

"No. He's not here at least," he said unable to hide the doubt that Severus Snape was still alive. Ginny told him he had fled and, even though he knew it was an act, Alex could not help but feel hurt by this. Severus had not been seen throughout the battle. Had Voldemort finally realized the truth about Severus's loyalties?

"This isn't right," Dani said pulling away and wiping her eyes. Alex gave a small nod. He pushed some hair out of her face, noticing her eyes were a midnight blue. He inspected her, trying to see if she was injured. She was covered in debris dust and blood, but apart from minor cuts he did not see any serious injuries.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"No, I-I was helping Madam Pomfrey with some of the wounded," she said, her breathing becoming steadier.

"I don't know where he is, but Harry did come in here with Ron and Hermione," Alex said, hoping to relieve some of her fears. She nodded, noticing Luna with Neville, Seamus and Dean against the wall. She was glad to see they were alive.

XXX

Dani sat on the grand staircase, her knees tucked under her chin. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville sat with her. All were silent. All were trying to avoid looking at a clock.

Alex came out of the Hall, holding a few glasses. He walked over to them and silently handed each girl a glass of water. They took the cups, but did not drink.

"It's been over an hour," Dani said quietly. They all knew this. The calm after the fight was lasting too long. If he had not gone, the fighting would have resumed by now.

"But why?" Neville asked flabbergasted. "Why would he go?"

"Because he had to," Hermione said, her voice cracking and tears streaming down her face. "He had to sacrifice himself so we could have a chance to defeat Voldemort."

"There's still the snake, though," Ron said. Neville nodded in agreement, remembering what Harry had told him an hour earlier.

"So, kill the snake, kill Voldemort?" Alex asked. Ron and Hermione all nodded in the affirmative.

"We have to keep fighting," Neville said. "So that Harry did not die in vain."

A cold, high-pitched voice broke their sad silence. All seven of them got up and led the way out into the courtyard. Other from the Great Hall soon followed. All let out gasps of surprise and despair as they saw Harry's limp form in Hagrid's arms. Professor McGonagall looked heartbroken when she saw him.

A silencing charm was placed over them multiple times, but, somehow, the survivors continued to break it. Dani scanned the crowd of Death Eaters, but could not find Severus among them. She began focusing all her energy on the pain that threatened to overtake her. Severus, Harry, Fred, Lupin, Tonks… it was too much. And all for what? She was able to push it all the pain away, leaving herself a little more than numb. As she did this, she noticed Neville had been standing up to Voldemort and was being punished for it. But something was wrong: None of Voldemort's spells were working. Not really anyway: they were all able to break them without muttering the counter-spells.

The ground shook violently as a lone shout rang out: "HAGGER!"

All hell broke those as Voldemort's giants surged at Grwap and witches and wizards scattered to avoid being squashed. Dani heard Hagrid shouting as she ran with the others toward the Great Hall, but could make out what he was saying. A spell hit skimmed her right arm as she ran. The cut stung horribly, but she continued to run. When she entered the Hall, she saw her friends were already battling Death Eaters. She was making her way over to help Hermione, Ginny and Luna, who were all dueling with Bellatrix, when someone pulled her backwards and saved her from a green light she had been too distracted to see. But when she looked to see who had saved her, there was no one there. Before she could move to aide her friends, she found herself pushed backward again by the crowd: Everyone was watching as Bellatrix dueled Mrs. Weasley and Voldemort dueled McGonagall, Kingsley and Slughorn.

Voldemort screamed as he watched Bellatrix fall to the ground dead. He shot a Killing Curse at Mrs. Weasley, which rebounded and hit the wall behind him. As everyone was looking for the source of the protection charm, Harry appeared in the center of the room. Dani watched on with everyone as Harry and Voldemort circled the floor, wondering how he escaped death this time. She could people were confused by their conversation, which was all over the place: Dumbledore, wands, Sanpe. Dani felt a fresh wave of grief when Voldemort callously mentioned killing Severus. As the sun hit both their faces, they each cast their spells. Harry caught the wand that had flown out of Voldemort's hand as they watched the Dark Lord's deformed and lifeless body crumple to the ground.

And with that, the war was over.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 23**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

Dani lay curled up on a bare mattress on the floor in a corner of the Hospital Wing. Her body ached and screamed in protest every time she moved. Just because the war ended three days ago, did not mean there was suddenly nothing to do and everything was back to normal. No, it was quite the opposite actually. There had been bodies to take care of, injured to heal, a castle to rebuild and Death Eaters to catch. In the midst of everything, Hogwarts had somehow been become a base. Those who were looking to help, returning from Death Eater hunts, or were in need of healing all came to Hogwarts. Dani, who had been helping in the very understaffed Hospital Wing, had not slept in days and was exhausted. At long last there was a lull in people arriving, staying in, and departing the Wing. She had decided to take the opportunity and rest before the next wave of people arrived.

She was half asleep when she felt the mattress shake as someone sat down. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes to see who it was.

"Sorry," Harry said when he saw she was awake. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's ok," she said quietly.

"How are you?" he asked, pushing her hair away from her face.

She shrugged. "You?"

"Alright, better than I've been in a while," he said. An awkward silence fell between them. Dani watched Harry fidget for several minutes before he spoke again.

"I know what you did, going to the Malfoy's and all" he said finally. From his tone alone she could tell he still was not happy about this.

She sighed, "I had to do something. Even if it was ultimately a very small something, at least I helped."

"According to Alex, you provided them with some valuable information," Harry offered. She shrugged, avoiding his eyes. "Regardless, the whole experience seems to have really affected you."

"This whole war as affected everyone in some way or another," she said.

"I'm not concerned with anyone else," he persisted. "I'm concerned about _you_. _You_ are the one with the super-heightened intuition abilities. _You_ are the one who went into that place that was filled with darkness and evil. _You _are the one who was forced to spend time with Voldemort. I know you and I know this affected you a lot. Please don't lie to me."

"I see you've been talking to Alex," she snapped. Dani forced herself to sit up, but was stopped from getting up by Harry, who had twisted to face her and put one arm on either side of her. Leaning his forehead against hers, he quietly said, "Tell me."

Hesitating, she bit her lip. Yes, being at the Malfoy Manor had taken its toll on her. It had been horrible when she was with Alex: she had nothing to do but think and relive the memories. But there had been so much to do over the last few days; she had not had a chance to dwell on it. All the work had been a blessing.

"You're right," she sighed. "You're all right. But I don't know how to explain what I'm feeling exactly. It's a lot of confusion and, well, I don't know. I know I hate how I felt there. But what I hate most of all is how it continues to affect me. Not just how I feel, but how I think…or act."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, his green eyes staring intently into hers.

"I started to think like them. I didn't share their opinions, but, well, it's like I adopted their method of "problem solving." You know, the most direct way possible regardless of the consequences. When I was there, I was reckless. I went out of my way to rile them up and goad them into attacking me just so I could attack them. And then, during the battle, I actually used the killing curse. I don't know if it hit anyone, but… Oh god," she gasped, her face paling, "he won."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, confused and concerned at her sudden change in demeanor.

"He-he kept trying to force me to use an Unforgivable. He would have the Death Eaters torture innocent people to goad me into it. I only ever used the Imperius Curse, but now…he's won. He's fucking dead and he still won!" she exclaimed, her voice hysterical. Harry pulled her to him and tried to comfort her.

"It's ok. It doesn't matter."

"How can you say that?" she sobbed into his chest.

"Because we've all done things we regret during this war. And what you did, you did to protect yourself and others. And, honestly, I'm just glad you're alive."

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling away from him and wiping her eyes. "I really don't know what's wrong me."

"Well, for one, you're exhausted," he joked, which elicited a small smile from her. "Here, scoot over."

She did, making enough room for him to lie down next to her. He motioned for her to lie down next to him and wrapped an arm around her when she did. "Go to sleep. I love you," he whispered.

XXX

"What is this?" Dani asked as she took the thick envelop from Madam Pomfrey.

"A letter and some paperwork explaining that, if you choose, you are more than ready to start training as a Healer," she explained. "You'll still need to complete your general training before choosing a specialty, but I feel you're well prepared."

"This is a ploy to get me out of here, isn't it?" Dani asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Partly," Poppy conceded. "Don't give me that look, young lady. I've known you since you were only a few days old. I know when something's wrong. I also know you deal with things better when you're doing something and removed from the situation. This will be good for you. Plus," she added with hint of pride, "I know you'll do great."

"Thank you, Poppy," she said, hugging the old nurse.

"My pleasure, dear," she said, her voice thick. "Now, go back your things. You leave tomorrow."

Dani smiled good-bye and left the Hospital Wing. On her way back to Ravenclaw Tower, which is where she, Luna and several other people were staying (despite Alex's, Harry's, and Hermione's insistence that she stay with them in Gryffindor Tower), someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her off to the side of the corridor. Surprised, she could not stop the high-pitched squeal that escaped her. She turned to see Harry doubling over in laughter.

"Don't do that!" she yelled, folding her arms in front of her and glaring at him. This only served to make him laugh more.

"You've finally lost it, haven't you?" she deadpanned.

"No," he said, straightening up. "I'm just…in really high spirits lately."

Dani smiled: his attitude was contagious. "I thought you left with Alex this morning?"

"No, there was a change in plans. We're leaving in an hour," he explained. "Since I had the time, I thought I'd come spend it with you."

"How kind of you," she said, slightly sarcastically. "Well, I suppose I can put of packing for an hour. Shall we take a walk around the lake?"

"Why not?" Harry said, taking her by the hand and leading them out of the castle.

"So where are you off to?" she asked as they neared the lake. "Alex didn't say."

"I'm not sure exactly, somewhere in the south. Where are you going? You said you needed to pack," Harry asked, pausing by the lake's edge.

"St. Mungo's. I'm going to start my training to be a Healer. It'll be a nice change," she added quietly. Harry nodded before he pulled them to the ground.

"Are you trying to kill me?" she asked. Her expression was reproachful, but her tone was playful.

"No," he said, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. "I'm trying to entertain you."

She rolled her eyes and laughed at him. "I'm not sure what to do this new you. You're so positive, hardly your old angst-riddled, worried self."

"I suggest you enjoy it," he said in mock-seriousness. "You never know how long it will last."

"So true," she sighed. "You can't even tell, you know? That this place was in ruins just a few days ago."

"No, you can't," Harry agreed. "But there will always be reminders, even if we can't see them."

She snuggled into his chest and closed her eyes, enjoying the calmness in that moment. "You probably need to get going, don't you?" she mumbled.

"Yes," he sighed as he held her tightly to him. "But I'll be back soon. I don't expect this to take too long."

"I know. Maybe I'll be as positive as you when you get back," she whispered before kissing him. "I love you."

"I love you too."

**AN: I FINALLY updated! Yay! And guess what? This isn't the end. There's at least one more chapter. Hopefully it will be done and up soon!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 24**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Alex, Dani, and Jacqueline are mine.**

_**January 2001**_

"Danielle, when you have a minute I need your help with a patient."

"Be right there, Malcolm," she said, waving her wand over a young boy's broken arm. "There," she said, offering the boy a kind smile. "All better."

"What do you say, Henry?" his very tired looking mother prompted.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

"You're welcome. Try not to fall out of anymore trees, ok?"

"Ok."

"Thank you, Healer Blake," his mother said, gesturing for Henry to follow her. "I'm afraid I was never very good with the simplest of healing spells."

"It's no problem, really. It's why we're here," she said kindly. The mother smiled and nodded good-bye as she towed her son behind her. Dani turned and walked over to Healer Malcolm's station, which was three down from hers.

"What is it?" she asked when she was only a few feet from him. Lazily, he gestured to his patient, a man is mid-thirties who had a cut on his arm that was spewing green pus. She knew Malcolm could have fixed the wound in a second, but he was testing her. He took his job as her mentor very seriously. She studied the wound a second before measuring out a potion and handing it to him to drink. After he did and the green pus had stopped, she healed the cut with a quick flick of her wand. She conjured a cup of water and handed it to him.

"Drink all of this and then you can check out," she instructed.

"Very good," Malcolm said proudly. She could not help but smile. Frank Malcolm was one of the most accomplished Healers at St. Mungo's, and he was only in his thirties. To get a compliment from him was rare and meant you surprised him.

"Shall we go then? Our mandatory time spent in this hell hole is over."

"It's not that bad," she said, rolling her eyes. Today had been the Spell Damage department's turn for rounds in the new emergency clinic. Dani did not mind rounds; it was good practice and a nice break from her normal routine. Malcolm, on the other hand, thought it was demeaning.

She clocked out and bid good-bye to Malcolm before she apparated to the flat she shared with Hermione. To her surprise, she had beaten Hermione home. Hermione, now two years out of school, was working in the Ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where she was expanding S.P.E.W. Harry and Ron were still working with the Auror Department, though Ron was also working with George at the joke shop. Neville had begun training to be a professor of Herbology. Ginny and Alex were part of professional Quidditch teams. Ginny was a seeker for the Holyhead Harpies, and Alex was a chaser for Puddlemere United. They were also married. Luna was now traveling the world with Rolf Scamander looking for undiscovered magical creatures and plants.

Dani plopped onto the couch and began reading her most recent letter from Luna. She got a kick out of reading Luna's letters. They were pretty much her stream of consciousness: whatever she was thinking at the time she wrote. She was a bit jealous of Luna. She was seeing so many things and places. Sometimes Dani wished she had not started working right away, that she had taken some time for herself instead. However, she knew that work was what she had needed at the time. She sighed and pushed herself off the couch, deciding she should change out of her work clothes.

"Hey baby," she said to Rascal, who was lounging on her bed. He lifted his head and meowed at her. She shrugged out of her light green clothes and slipped on some jeans and a white t-shirt. She walked over to Rascal and scratched his belly. "You wanna eat dinner?"

The cat shot off the bed and ran to the kitchen. Dani laughed softly to herself before following him. She was shaking her hair out of the ponytail when she rounded the corner and did not see the man leaning against the back of the couch.

"Please do that again."

Dani jumped at the voice before she spun and saw Harry standing in her living room.

"Are you _ever_ going to stop doing that?" she demanded. Every time he came back he managed to greet her by scaring her to death.

"You would think you'd just be prepared for it by now," he teased, walking across the room to her. He stopped a few inches in front of her, put his hands on her waist and pulled her to him. She sighed and relented, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"So how long are you home for this time?" she asked. Harry had been gone off and on over the last few years tracking the remaining Death Eaters. He rarely stayed longer than a month or two.

"Home for good," he said. "And promoted."

"To what?"

"Head of the Auror Department."

"Really? Harry, that's great!"

"Mmhm."

"Are you not happy about this?" she asked, confused by his less than enthused mood.

"Yeah, but I've known for a couple days. Right now, I'm just focused on making up for lost time with you," he said right before he crashed his lips to hers. Her fingers knotted in his hair to keep him close as his hands went to her lower back and did the same.

"Ah-hem."

Dani and Harry pulled apart to see a scandalized-looking Hermione standing in the doorway.

"Hi Hermione. Miss me?" Harry said cheekily.

"Up until very recently," she said, setting her briefcase down.

"Sorry," Dani said, blushing furiously. Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes, but let it pass.

"Whatever, just no craziness tonight, ok? We have to be up extremely early for Ginny and Alex's game tomorrow."

"They're playing each other tomorrow, then?" Harry asked.

"Yes, and I am so grateful I no longer share a flat them," Dani said as she inwardly cringed at the memories of what all the build up of a match did to those two. She pulled away from Harry and went to help Hermione prepare dinner. "Don't worry," she called over her shoulder, "we have an extra ticket."

XXX

_**June 2001**_

Dani shot up in bed, her heart pounding frantically and her breathing was erratic. Quietly, she slipped out of bed and walked over to the open window. The cool air and the scenic view helped to calm her and regulate her breathing.

"It was just a dream," she told herself.

She hated the nightmares, the memories from the war. She rarely had them anymore, but they were awful when she did have them. Sometimes she thought they were worse than the actual experience. Dani hated what they did to her. However, what she hated more was how the dreams were plaguing her on what was supposed to be a nice vacation with Harry.

He had brought them to Marseille for a much needed vacation. It had taken him a few months to convince her, but she had finally agreed to take some time off from work. After all, if the new head of the Auror Department could take time off after only being there for six months, then she, a mid-level Healer, could too. When she reached a semi-state of relaxation, she gently crawled back into bed and pulled the thin sheet and blanket over.

"Are you ok?" Harry asked groggily, shifting to face her.

"Yeah, just a nightmare. I'm fine now," she reassured him.

"If it helps, I think we all have nightmares about that time," he said, tracing her cheekbone with his thumb. She took his hand in hers and kissed the back of it before snuggling into his chest.

"I don't really want to talk about it," she said. "I just want to enjoy the rest of this vacation."

"So the girl who thought this was a bad idea is enjoying herself, then?" he teased.

"Yes," she sighed, faking resentment.

"Good," Harry said, nuzzling her neck. "That was the plan."

"So there's a plan?"

He shifted them so he was hovering over her. He pushed some of her wavy, black hair out of her eyes before he kissed her forehead and then her lips. When he pulled away, his green bore intently into her blue ones.

"Danielle Blake," he started, smiling a bit at her new surname, "will you marry me?"

After a moment of surprised silence, she broke out into a grin. "Yes."

"Yeah?" Harry asked, beaming.

"Yes," she said, leaning up and closing the gap between them.

XXX

_**October 2001**_

"Oh Dani, you're beautiful," Hermione sighed.

Dani stared at her reflection. She was practically unrecognizable. Her fell nicely around her face in loose curls and she was wearing much more makeup than she was used to. The simple, white, Grecian gown was the more foreign to her than the rest of it. But it was all for Harry; she only hoped he would understand what it meant.

"I can't believe this really happening," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Believe it, baby girl," Alex said as he entered the room. He froze when he saw her. "Wow. You're sure that's my baby sister?" he asked Hermione.

"Yes," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Now, come on you two, we don't want to keep Harry waiting."

Alex offered Dani his arm and they followed Hermione, Ginny and Luna out of the room. Dani's stomach was full of butterflies. Her nerves must have been showing because Alex gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. But when she saw Harry standing down the aisle, all the butterflies were gone, leaving calm and confidence behind. Harry's smile became even wider when he saw her dress. She returned his smile, glad he understood. At that moment, there was just the two of them.

XXX

_**Three and a half years later**_

"Keep pushing, Dani. That's it," the healer coached.

Dani cursed under her breath and mentally swore that she would kill the next person who told her to push. That's what she was doing! She squeezed Harry's hand out of anger and pain. He kissed her head and whispered, "You're doing great." Like he knew. He was not the one who's body was being torn apart in a room full of people.

"One more push, dear."

Dani clenched her teeth and stomached through not one, but three more big pushes. Finally, after 14 hours of labor, there was the sound of crying new born.

"It's boy," the healer said as she waved her wand, which cleaned her and the baby and cut the umbilical cord. She hand Dani the small baby. Dani was speechless. He was so small and squishy and beautiful and hers. She could not believe the overwhelming feeling of love toward this small person she did not even know.

"Hey baby," she cooed. Harry placed his hands on her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze and kissed the top of her head.

"You two are the most beautiful things I've ever seen," he muttered. His voice was full of love adoration.

Dani laughed, "I look like a wreck."

"Never," Harry said. "You still happy with the name?"

"Of course," she said. "James Sirius Potter, would you like to meet your father?"

James gurgled and squirmed in his mother's arms. She smiled at her son and gently handed him to Harry, who was now sitting next to her. He took their child and held him gently in his arms, staring at him in awe. When he looked up at her, his eyes were glistening a bit.

"I love you," he said, his voice thick.

"I love you too," she smiled. Harry handed James back to her, giving her a lingering kiss before he pulled away. Their baby squirmed and they both looked down at him, creating the picture of family they had both always wanted.

**XXANXX**

**So…we've reached the end. I want to thank everyone who's stuck with me for so long. I really do appreciate it and I hope this is a satisfying ending.**

**Shameless self-promotion: I have another fanfic in the works. It will be titled "Sight's Journey" and should be up within the week. If you're bored or enjoyed this story, I'd love for you to read it and tell me what you think.**

**Again, thanks for the support : )**


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